Electrocution is Actually Not That Bad
by 2crazy random people
Summary: After a sequence of creapy events Gaara and Sakura end up stuck in each other's minds. Literally. Together can they sort everything out or will their inner-selves drive each other insane? And who said anything about a wedding? Rated 4 leather boxers.
1. Chapter 1

Key: Read or you won't get anything!!

Naruto rules = .

_**Naruto rules = Tristen1497**_

**Naruto rules = both of us!!! **

**Were BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

Back in black baby! Oh, yeah!!

_**And as you can obviously tell I'm still clinically depressed and Crimson is still… well…**_

Guess whose back? Back again. Shady's back. Tell your friends!

_**Crimson… **_

What?!!

_**Shut up. As you can see she still hasn't given up on sugar. **_

Oh! Oh! Oh! Guess what?!!!! I'm FINALLY getting my license.

_**It's about time… **_

What?!

_**Umm…. RUN! Everybody get off the road!! **_

(Random screeching sounds of car tiers) Purple dog on a Sunday afternoon-

_**Anyway, this story is dedicated to super-rat for making us write it. **_

Sorry it took so long! ^_^

_**Have fun, enjoy, and of course **_

**Let the randomness begin!!!! **

**Note: Unlike our previous stories this one has not yet been written in full before we started posting. Translation = depending on how much time and inspiration Tristen1497 has you'll have to wait anywhere between a day and two months for the next chapter. **

You BETTER not make our readers wait TWO MONTHES!!!!

_**How about YOU write the story then?**_

…….

_**I thought not. Now shut up so we can get to the story already. **_

Why bother? They don't even read our supper long comments anyway… Flying Drumsticks!!!

**Electrocution's Actually Not That Bad**

**Dedicated to super-rat**

Key.

Shuukaku – **This print**

Inner Sakura – _**This print **_

Kohana. Possibly the most disgusting, dreadful place in the whole world, or at least that's what Sabaku no Gaara thought as he entered the city. It was warm out; the heat was nothing compared to that in Suna, but the air here was not just warm. It was muggy, heavily weighed down with moisture, storm clouds standing guard outside to block out the sunshine and let the gloom creep into your soul. He hated muggy, and rainy, and wet and therefore he hated Kohana.

The never-ending stream of council members (*cough* *cough* *minions!*) followed after him, a countless number of eyes that never left him. Even after being Kazekage for three years the sensation of being watched was bothersome. At first he would fidget under the pressure before finally breaking and shouting at them, followed by a few getting put in the hospital for a week or so. Now, he had more control. He no longer squirmed under their gaze and rather then hospitalizing them Gaara took to imagining _ways_ to hospitalize them. It was a fair substitute.

_I hate this place, _Gaara thought to himself as they started towards the Hokage's tower. The whole reason he was stuck in this horrible, muggy place, his meeting with Tsunade.

**So blow it up. **

Gaara sighed. The voice of his inner demon, Shuukaku, was always anxious to tell him what he wished to do on the inside. He was the voice of his inner-most desires and he would never leave him along. (Yes, we know he's supposed to be gone now, but if you know us you know that we will NEVER get rig of that cute little Tanuki. Deal with it.)

_I don't think that's a good idea. _

**But it's **_**is**_** what you want to do. **

_Yes, but I also want to decapitate all of these stupid council members that won't stop watching me. _

**Why don't you do that instead?**

_Because both ideas are bad! We've been through this before. I'm Kazekage now, meaning no unlawful murders and no blowing up ally villages. _

**I hate your job. **

_Well I don't. _

Shuukaku smirked. **Yes you do. Remember, I know and think everything you do on the inside and I know you hate it. Especially the paperwork.**

Gaara felt his hand cramp up just at the thought of signing another piece of paper. _Okay, so I hate the paperwork. That doesn't mean I hate everything about my job. I like… _

**You can't think of anything you like about it, can you? **

_Shut up. So I don't like anything about my job. That doesn't mean I hate it. I mean the missions, protecting the village, planning military acts; that stuff is alright. I may not particularly like it but then again I don't like anything so it doesn't count. _

**Oh, you like stuff. I can think of lots of things you enjoy greatly. Let's see here. Killing people. Impaling people. Killing people by impaling them... **

_Stop making it sound like all I enjoy doing is killing. _

**Okay then… You like **_**almost**_** killing people. Fighting people. **

_Wow. You've really opened my eyes. I have no healthy recreational activities. _

**I know one that's healthy… **Shuukaku snickered.

Gaara quickly blocked out the images Shuukaku sent his way, all of them of pretty girls, most of them unclothes.

_Stop it! _He yelled in his head. _That's disgusting. _

**You know you like it. **

_No, you do! _

**We're one in the same kid. Your sexual tension is my sexual tension. **

_Shut up!! _

**Hey, it's not your fault you still haven't gotten laid. **

_Now Shuukaku or I'll kill you. _

**Oh, this is rich. You're going to kill yourself. Don't shoot the messenger kid. I'm just the voice of reason in your head that tells you what you really want. **

Gaara blocked Shuukaku out, forcing the demon to the back of his mind. Marvelous. He was having a fight with himself (over his sexual tension no less).

Thunder cracked in the sky above, the dark clouds getting ready to release their heavy load. Gaara increased his pace towards the Hokage's tower, his council members hurrying to keep up with him. The first rain drop came down to drop onto Gaara's cheek just as they reached the entrance. Two council members wrapped head to toe in their desert travel clothes opened the large double doors for him, allowing Gaara to step into the cool, dry lobby.

Their footsteps echoed softly around the large, plain, white room. The tile beneath their feet was so white it blinded them. Gaara paused a few feet away from the receptionist table, allowing his head council member, Fukigen, to address the lady at the desk, so absorbed in her work that she hadn't even noticed they had arrived.

"Ah hem," Fukigen coughed.

The receptionist lifted her head and jumped in her seat, frightened upon looking up to see several tall men dressed in long, tan robes.

"May I help you?" she asked in a small voice.

"Yes. Lord Kazekage has a meeting with the Hokage." Fukigen said in his high and mighty voice. Gaara felt like rolling his eyes. The middle aged council member never failed to look down upon people.

The receptionist's eyes darted from Fukigen's stern, wrinkly face to search frantically for the white and blue hat that would mark the Kazekage but found none. Gaara often refused to where the hat. It was inside of his travel pack being carried by the men hired for the very purpose of carrying everything.

Instead the receptionist pinpointed him by the patch of blood red hair that marked his location. Her eyes widened further when they met his cold, heartless jade ones, staring down at her with an unclear hatred.

"Umm… y- yes. Of course. Ua… let me see here…" she stuttered. Gaara watched as the young girl searched through her papers at a hurried pace. She looked as if she had not been informed he would be coming. He saw the beads of sweat start to appear on her forehead as she ruffled through her papers.

_I didn't know the Kazekage was coming. Oh this is bad. This is really bad! I look like such a fool! What will Lady Tsunade say? I'll loose my job! Suna will be so unpleased that they will go to war with us! The world will end!!!! _

"Lord Kazekage?"

Every head in the room turned to see who had spoken. Instantly the receptionist sighed in relief. She was saved.

Gaara knew who had spoken before he had looked to confirm, but when he did look he was shocked. She looked nothing like she had nearly two years ago when he had seen her last.

Sakura Haruno stood off to one side of the lobby right in front of one of the massive hallways that led to other parts of the building. She wore an outfit similar to the one Gaara had last seen her in. Black shorts with a red and pink skirt over the top of it. Her shirt was different though. It was the same red and pink as her skirt but the cut had been changed. It started below her rib cage at her waist and was made of two overlapping fabrics, one piece folding over the other like the fabric at the top of a kimono did, forming a v neck line. The sleeves were long, starting out tight at her shoulder and forearm and fanning out as they neared her wrists.

It looked like she had grown her hair back out because most of it was held up with her headband and two black senbon, the ends dangling in the middle of her neck. Her bangs were left down, streaming down past her shoulders.

She smiled sweetly at him and his group. The grin reached the corners of her eyes, crinkling them closed.

"My name is Haruno Sakura. Lady Tsunade has instructed me to escort you to your rooms here in the tower and to inform you of the days proceedings." She continued once she had everyone's attention.

Fukigen nodded. "Thank You Miss. Haruno." He said. "Tell the Hokage that we greatly appreciate her hospitality."

"I will." Sakura nodded. "Now, please follow me." She added, motioning down the hall behind her.

Gaara started forward with the council following close behind him. He gripped Fukigen's shoulder to hold him back when he started to walk in front of him. He glared at him as he passed. Fukigen insisted on speaking for him and doing everything else for him as if he couldn't do things himself. He needed to learn that there was a line separating Kazekage from council member.

That was one of the things Gaara missed the most about not being Kazekage. Doing things for himself. Ever since he became more than just Gaara he was never alone and could never speak for himself. He wasn't even permitted to carry his own supplies for crying out loud!!! He thought back to the men who had to carry the carts holding all of their goods. He felt bad for whoever got the cart carrying his gourd of sand. It didn't look as heavy as it truly was.

"How have you been Lord Kazekage?"

Gaara snapped out of his thoughts to find Sakura walking beside him, leading him through the building. Obviously she had been the one to speak.

"Fine, thank you. And you Haruno?" he said, trying to be as polite as possible, knowing full well she wasn't just the Hokage's apprentice. She was Naruto's good friend, not to mention the medical ninja who had saved his life. Good manners were required.

"I've been well. Now, you and your council members have been provided with separate rooms, all in the center of the building. S level security has been provided to insure your safety and there are medical staff present in the building at all times should an injury occur. Your luggage has already been brought up by one of our best teams of ninja and had been carefully placed in your rooms.

"Your meeting with Lady Tsunade will take place in her office in two hours. I'll be back to escort you to her quarters when the time comes. Also, I have a message I was told to deliver to you." She finished.

Gaara blinked, trying to take everything in. "What's the message?" he asked after processed all the other information.

"Uzumaki Naruto has requested an audience with you before your departure. He's anxious to fight you again."

Gaara smirked. "Same here."

"Would you like me to tell him you have accepted his invitation?" Sakura asked.

His eyebrow twitched. Screw conformity and formality. "I'll do it myself. It shouldn't take me long to run into him here."

"Yes Lord Kazekage."

His eye twitched again.

"Haruno, we may not be friends, so to speak, but I've known you for over five years now. That, and we are both friends with Naruto. And between you and me I've had enough formality to last a century."

"Well thank god for that. I thought I was the only one." She sighed, grinning at him. "Tsunade said she would kill me if I'm not polite. Sorry if it was too much."

"Just a little," Gaara muttered as they reached the hall where their rooms were.

"Well… I'll be back in two hours." Sakura said before turning to make her way back down the hallway. Gaara didn't watch her leave. He was too focused on finding his room.

One by one the council members filed away into their respected rooms, following Gaara's lead. His room was more like an apartment. As soon as you entered there was a large sitting area complete with a couch, a lounge chair, and a TV. Off to the side was a small kitchen with a table and chairs and in the back a large bedroom area furnished with a king sized bed, end tables and a dresser. There was even a bathroom off the side of his bedroom.

Gaara headed strait for the bed, stretching out on it and closing his eyes. He may not have been able to sleep, but relaxing was better than nothing.

_All this formality... It's killing me. _

**Then quit. **

Gaara sighed. There were times when he thought that perhaps Shuukaku was right.

_I can't. _

**Yes you can. **

_It's not that bad. I mean, I can always tell Fukigen to cut it out and let me speak for myself and carry my own stuff. I am Kazekage after all. I make the rules. _

**Whatever… I just wish people would cut the crap. "Yes Kazekage." "Right away Kazekage." "How are you Lord Kazekage?" It's disgusting. Even Haruno… **

_What do you mean, even Haruno?_

**Well you guys are like, friends right? **

_How should I know? She saved my life. Does that count? _

**You've got a long way to go kid. A long way to go. You and friends are still like water and oil. **

_Whatever, just shut up so I can relax for a while… _

Gaara heard no more as his inner demon slunk back into the depths of his mind. What was Shuukaku talking about? Water and oil? Ha! Maybe back then, but not now. He had been trying really hard and in his opinion it was paying off.

He talked with Naruto constantly, discussing their demons among other things and having mock battles whenever they were in the same town. He talked with Hinata, Naruto's girlfriend, sometimes. She was still scared of him but they could hold a discussion. Neji was his friend, somewhat. They didn't hate each other at least.

Temari was dating Shikamaru, so they had taken part in a couple of interesting discussions together. Rock Lee and him had talked often, sometimes training together. Even Sakura. They weren't exactly friends. He still called her by her last name and never really showed his true self in her presence but still. They were polite towards each other and had spent some time together when they went out with Naruto and a couple other friends. True, he hadn't seen her in person in nearly two years since Naruto's birthday party, but they were still somewhat friends, right?

Gaara made up his mind then and there to prove Shuukaku wrong. He could make friends. He'd be more polite and possibly a little less formal when around her to try and strengthen their… acquaintanceship. That would work.

Gaara's thoughts wandered off the subject of friendship and onto a more important matter; why he was there. The council members had arranged this meeting with the Hokage a week after his eighteenth birthday, saying they were going to discuss the ties and bonds between the two villages, but more than that he did not know. Maybe it was just his imagination but he felt like the council members were keeping something from him…

***RandomnessRules***

"Here you go Ma'am," Sakura said, heaving a huge stack of papers onto Lady Tsunade's desk.

The Hokage sighed. "Not more paperwork!" She slumped in her chair, groaning.

"I'm afraid so My Lady. Oh, and your meeting with the Kazekage is in ten minutes."

Tsunade's eyes lit up immediately. "Really? Time flies. Umm… why don't you go escort him and the other council members here?"

"Yes. Ma'am." Sakura murmured, bowing before she left the room, walking down the long hall and towards the stairs.

_I wonder why Tsunade's so… excited. She's never this pepped up about meeting with other Kages._

_**I don't like it. **_Inner Sakura complained.

_You never like anything. You're so negative. _

_**Which technically means you are the one who's so negative. **_

…

_**Are you listening to me?! **_

_Oh, sorry. I'm just so wrapped up in this. I really want to know why she's so happy about this meeting. She's been looking forward to it for weeks. More than weeks. She was talking about it months ago when she sent Gaara his birthday present. I wonder if it had something to do with what she sent him… _

_**Since when are you so absorbed with Gaara? **_

_I'm not. I'm absorbed with Tsunade. Usually when she gets excited about something it means a whole lot of pain, agony, and suffering for those involved and a whole lot of paperwork for me. I hate paperwork..._

_**Gaara seemed a little on-edge too. Do you think he knows? **_

_I don't know. Maybe he's nervous because he doesn't know. Wait. How could you tell he was nervous?_

_**You mean how could **_**you**_** tell? **_Inner Sakura giggled. _**It was obvious. I mean, of course Gaara is assertive and speaks his mind most of the time but I would think that he wouldn't have been so blunt about hating formality. **_

_He's always blunt about hating it. _

_**How would you know? You haven't seen him in two years. Anyway, you could just tell. Usually he's in full-on Kage mode unless he's around friends. **_

_Are you saying I'm his friend?_

_**I don't know… are you? **_

_I doubt it. I mean, I guess we should be considering Naruto is our friend but I really don't know. You said it yourself. We haven't seen each other in two years. And it's not like we talk a lot when we do see each other… Maybe I should ask if he wants to go to Ichi-Raku with me, Naruto, Shikamaru, and the others tonight._

_**So, you want to go out with him do you? **_Her inner self teased.

_No! _Sakura argued defensively. _I meant like a friend's night out thing. Not like that. _

_**You're so weird. I mean, did you see how tall he got? Last time he was barely your height and now he's like a head taller. And he's so hot-**_

_No! Not listening! You SO did not just think that. _

_**Of course I didn't. You did. After all, I'm just your inner-most desires talking. **_

_Shut up. Okay, MAYBE he's a little hot. But his personality is so… ew… I'm sorry but no. I could never see us together like that. Besides, he doesn't like anyone, not even as friends, Naruto being the only exception. He may be the Kazekage now, but he's still the same old Gaara. _

She rounded the last corner then and walked down the hall to the last door, the door to his room. Sakura didn't even have a chance to knock on the door. She had barely raised her hand up to start knocking when the door swung inward, Gaara standing in the doorway in his Kazekage robes including his hat for a change.

_Wow. Inner Sakura was right. He got tall… _Sakura thought before blinking, trying to regain her composure. She opened her mouth to speak when once again Gaara beat her to the punch.

"Let's go." He almost hissed.

**I didn't mean to be offensive. I meant that I would have no objection if you wanted to go into the bathroom and-**

Gaara blocked his demon again. He could feel his temper wearing thin thanks to that stupid Tanuki.

"Alright," Sakura whispered as she walked over to the other rooms to summon the council members.

_What's his problem? _She thought, catching the tone he had used in speaking to her.

_Crap. _Gaara realized thanks to Sakura's obvious taken aback expression. He had scared her. Just great. That was a marvelous way to try and be nice to her, to build their acquaintanceship, if only for the sake of their mutual friend, Naruto.

He thought of a way to apologize all the way down to the Hokage's room, but to Gaara's dismay they reached her office before he decided on a way to strike up a conversation with the young konoichi.

"Lord Kazekage to see you Ma'am." Sakura said, once she had opened the door. She stepped aside to allow Gaara and the council members inside.

"Ah, Gaara. Good to finally see you. It's been far too long." Tsunade smiled.

"Indeed it has Tsunade. We should make an appoint to meet more often." Gaara said, repositioning his political mask and making himself comfortable in the chair in front of her desk while the council members gathered around him.

He took in a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself. He needed to keep his head today. It didn't matter that Shuukaku was getting on his case about not having friends, not enjoying his job, and not having a sex life, and it most certainly didn't matter that he was being crowded around by old, smelly guys. All that mattered was being formal and getting through the meeting alive. At lest Fukigen wasn't speaking for him.

"We should, we should." Tsunade agreed, smileing back at him. "Oh, Sakura?"

Sakura had almost made it out of the door, but not quite. She pushed the door back open and poked her head in.

"Yes Lady Tsunade?" she questioned.

"Please stay. This concerns you as well." The Hokage said motioning her back into the room.

Sakura scrunched up her face in confusion. What on earth was going on? She closed the door again and walked over to Tsunade's side, standing by her, facing Gaara and his council. She could see the confusion on his face as well. It would seem she wasn't the only one not let in on the fact she would be present during this meeting. The council members seemed to know…

Gaara was thinking the same thing. He knew Fukigen and he would most certainly not allow someone uninvolved to stand in during a meeting. So that could only mean that Haruno _was_ involved. He narrowed his eyes at her. Did she know why he was really here?

**She look's just as surprised as you do, so stop glowering. **

_What on earth could the council have in mind that concerns both of us?_

**Whatever it is Tsunade is both excited and a bit nervous. Excited because she likes the idea, and nervous because she knows we're going to hate the idea. **

"Kazekage… Gaara," Tsunade began.

_**Must be serious. He used his first name. **_

_What the hell is going on? _Sakura thought.

"Something has come to the attention of me and the Suna council members." She continued.

"What is it?" Gaara asked, eyeing her suspiciously.

"Are you aware that there are requirements for each Kage? A strict code of rules and regulations written down by their villages' government."

"Yes," said Gaara, getting annoyed that she was beating around the bush.

"Well… it has come to our attention that there is a requirement in Suna… It was never considered or brought to your attention when you accepted the tile because… well… we weren't aware of it. It has never come up before considering all the other Kazekage's that have come before you were considerably older and by that age…"

"Just get to the point Tsunade." Gaara growled. He did not like being left in the dark.

Tsunade sighed. "Gaara, in Suna it is dictated that every Kazekage be married by the age of nineteen."

……. (Awkward silence engulfing the room goes here)

"What?!" Gaara rose to his feet so quickly the chair in back of his toppled over. Fukigen leaned over to erect it. "Kohana doesn't have that rule!"

"Yes, but things our different here. We elect Kage's based on strength. In your village it is passed down through a family, and since Kage's don't tend to live too long it is required the Kazekage is married by then to insure the production of heirs-"

"Heirs?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!" (AWKWARD!!!!)

"Yes heirs, now calm down and sit down!" Tsunade shouted, standing up out of her chair.

"And you didn't tell me?!" Gaara yelled to his council members.

Fukigen tried to explain. "We thought it best to-"

"Bull shit!" Gaara barked. "There's no way in hell I'm getting married!"

(Here is where a vein pops out of Tsunade's head anime style.) Tsunade's eye twitched and she banged her hands down on the table, splitting her desk in half.

"Listen up! Gaara you are getting married! In three months to be precise, AND it has been decided by the Suna council and I that you will be married to an upstanding konoichi from Kohana to help strengthen the ties between our two villages!" Tsunade shouted.

The whole room fell dead silent.

_Wait. Did she say konoichi from Kohana? Is that why…? _Gaara thought.

_I- I think I know why I'm here now… Oh god no! Tsunade you can NOT do this to me! _Sakura thought, panicking.

"And who have you selected to be the bride?" a council member asked.

"Gaara," Tsunade said, sending him a death glare, telling him the decision was final and that he had no say in the matter what so ever. "You bride is going to be…"

**Awe! Come on! Not Haruno! She's good-looking, but not NEARLLY sexy enough! **

_**Ew! Please no! Anything but Gaara! He may be hot but I SO agree with Sakura! His personality is horrid!!!! **_

Tsunade took a deep breath as everyone else held there's. "Ino Yamanaka."

Gaara and Sakura's jaws dropped. (Didn't see that one coming did ya? –evil smiley face-)

_**Thank god!**_

**Score!!!!!! Ino's got one HOT body and have you seen her ass?! Gaara, I love your job!!! ^_^ ^_^ ^_^ ^_^ ^_^ **

_I hate my job. _

***RandomnessRules***

"Tsunade, I here by formally resign from the position of Kazekage of the sand village." Gaara said with a blank, serious-as-hell face. "Fukigen, you're in charge." He removed his Kazekage hat to place it on the advisors head before turning on his heal and walking out the door as quickly as his feet would carry him.

"Lord Kazekage!!" nearly everyone shouted as the door slammed shut behind him.

"Crap…" Tsunade moaned, sinking down into her chair. "I thought this might happen."

Sakura turned to Tsunade, feeling awkward and out of place. "Umm… Tsunade? Why did I have to be here?"

_**I think she just wanted to scare us half to death, making us think we were getting married to Gaara. **_

"I was getting to that," Tsunade sighed. "I spoke to Ino's father about the match and he agreed. Ino also agreed right before she left for her last mission."

_Well that explains why Ino was so… weird before she left. _Sakura thought, remembering how on edge her friend had been before she left a week ago on her month-long mission.

Tsunade continued. "Since you are Ino's closest friend I'm putting you in charge of organizing the wedding. You have to get everything you need from here and arrange for it to be moved to Suna. Then when Ino returns from her mission I need you to travel to Suna with her, finish putting things in order for the wedding, and of course help to protect her until the wedding day."

"Oh…"

"It may not seem like a lot but this is actually an S ranked mission Sakura. Can I count on you to complete it?" the Hokage asked, almost in desperation.

"Of course Lady Tsunade." Sakura smiled, secretly wondering how all of this was going to work out.

"Oh, and sakura?"

"Yes?"

"Can I ask you to do one more thing for me?"

"Anything Ma'am,"

"Go find Gaara and convince him to come back."

***RandomnessRules***

The rain poured down relentlessly, coming down in sheets from the black sky above. Lightning flashed and thunder shook the earth. Gaara ignored it all, walking as quickly as possible towards the village gates. He needed to get out of there.

_I can't believe it! Ino?!! She's… She's…_

**A pig? **

_No! She's just… I can't stand here! She's worse than Haruno. _

**What? Were you hoping to have to marry Sakura instead? **

_Of course not! _

"Gaara!"

**Speak of the devil and she shall appear…**

"Gaara Wait!"

He walked faster toward the gate, his feet splashing in the rain puddles, his hair and robes soaked from the precipitation.

"Gaara!"

"Get away from me Haruno! I'm NOT going back there." He barked, walking faster still.

She caught up to him then, walking by his side as quickly as she could to keep up. "Gaara, you have to go back. You can't just walk out on your country like that."

"Oh really? Watch me!" He walked faster.

"Gaara, I know you don't want to get married, but you have to. You're the best Kage Suna has ever had. Without you…"

He turned around sharply then, startling her and gripping her shoulders tightly. "Heirs Haruno!!! She was talking Heirs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"I know Gaara. I know this is a big adjustment but-"

"But nothing!"

"But it's not like you weren't going to get married eventually."

"Ha! Me? Married? NEVER!"

"Gaara, think about what you are doing. You're condemning your country!" Sakura's tone changed then, no longer comforting and soft but hard and angry. "It is a Kage's job to do what is best for their country despite what is best for them! Suna is depending on you Gaara! You can't just walk out on them! You're better than that!"

Gaara paused then, just as he had reached the gate leaving the leaf village.

"I can't do it Sakura." He whispered, gripping the mighty metal pole that held the gate up. "I just can't do it. Whether it is for my country or not."

"You can do it Gaara. You can do anything. I know it. You're one of the strongest people I know." Sakura gently laid one of her delicate hands on his shoulder, turning him slightly so that she could look into his eyes.

"You can do it." She repeated, her face and voice holding no trace of doubt.

Neither of them had time to react. The thunder rumbled, the lightning flashed, striking the giant metal pole.

Right after the flash both Gaara and Sakura were lying on the wet ground, unconscious as the rain continued to poor down.

Hey, did you know guys are struck by lightning more often than girls are? It's a fact. Look it up. Then us girls can ban together and duck tape all the men in the world to radio towers. Then we can rule the world!!!!!!! MUUAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

_**I'm glad I'm not a guy. **_

Oh! But we can't electrocute Mike Frisby! He's MINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

… _**you know what? I've just realized this. You scare me. **_

Well that's a relief because if I didn't… …I just lost my train of thought.

_**Be on the look out for the next chapter to see where Crimson might have been going with her comeback. **_

**NOTE!!!!**** 2CrasyRandomPeople do NOT support the couple InoXGaara! (Sick-Os!) It was just the most random paring we could think of. That, and it goes with the plot line. THIS IS STILL A GaaraXSakura STORY!!!! Also, the funny randomness is coming. We were forced to make this story more serious for the sake of the plot line. (Stupid plot line.) **


	2. Chapter 2

Key: Read or you won't get anything!!

Naruto rules = Crimson

_**Naruto rules = Tristen**_

**Naruto rules = both of us!!!**

**(Meditating humming sound in background. Tristen and Crimson wearing orange robes worn by monks.)**

_**Why are we doing this again? **_

Because… hey, wait. Why _are_ we doing this?

_**I think we should stop talking so our readers can figure out if Gaara and Sakura got killed by the lightning. **_

Well obviously they didn't you silly goose! Or else we wouldn't have a story! ^_^

_**Silly Goose?**_

I swear sometimes I question your sanity. Only a dumb person would think they died.

_**Hey, do you think we could get money for these stupid robes? **_

Great idea! I know a guy, who knows this guy, who knows this guy, you knows this panda-

_**We get it! You've got connections with an underground society of monks in orange robes!**_

Read on people. I've got to make some phone calls to Shanghai. ^_^

**NOTE: The next up-date won't be until NEXT sunday. One week people, so read slowly... or review a lot. **

**Electrocution is Actually Not That Bad **

It was the beeping. The steady, constant, annoying-as-hell being that pulled Gaara out of the darkness. Had he been asleep? No, impossible. But what else could explain the blanket of night that was around him? The dark quiet that was the pit of his unconscious mind?

He thought back, trying to recall the last thing he remembered before the darkness. He was walking. No. He was running. Running away from the people forcing him to get married. It was wet. Very wet. More so than if he had been taking a bath or a shower. He remembered feeling heavy due to his wet clothes clinging to his skin, dragging him downward towards the ground.

What else was there to remember? A soothing voice. Pink hair. A name rang out within his mind as clear as a bell. Sakura Haruno. She had been chasing him, trying to talk him out of storming off, never to return again. Then there was the unnatural and uncomfortable feeling of her hand on his shoulder, then… nothing.

Wait. There was something hidden in the depths of his mind. Light. He remembered a bright light. And shock, like being thrown into a tub of ice-cold water in the middle of a hot July day. That's where his memories ended.

He struggled to open his eyelids, so heavy it was as if lead bricks weighed them down, keeping them sealed shut.

***RandomnessRules***

Sakura felt like she had been hit by a truck. Her whole body felt stiff and unresponsive. Perhaps she had been lying in one position for too long? Yes, maybe that was it…

What had happened? The last thing she remembered was going after Gaara and turning his shoulder so he would look at her. Then the light.

She would have laughed if she was able to move her lips. Of course. She had been struck by lightning. What were the odds?

Wait. Was she okay? Was Gaara okay? Oh man, if he wasn't she was sure to get blamed. The scenario ran though her head.

"_Sakura Haruno, you are here by put to death for electrocuting the Kazekage to death." _

"_But it wasn't my fault judge!" _

"_Nonsense! Everyone knows it was your fault the lightning hit you both. After all, lightning tends to hit women more than men."_

Sakura immediately disregarded the scenario. That could never happen. Everyone knew men got hit by lightning more often than women. She actually had a wonderful conspiracy theory about the whole thing.

Regardless, she did hope Gaara was okay. He was one of Naruto's good friends and she knew he would be devastated if anything happened to him. She just hoped that the stupid, thick-headed Kazekage managed to survive the ordeal. He better have because she was SO not going to jail for murdering him! If anything his thick head would have prevented his death… hopefully.

Despite her inner turmoil Sakura felt strangely at peace, thanks to her long rest. She turned her head to the side and smiled, happy that at least her body was feeling well. She sighed in contentment and slowly opened her eyes. Sadly, she did so at the exact same moment Gaara managed to overcome the lead bricks. (You can SO see where this is going, can't you people?)

The first thing they saw was each other, staring strait into one another's eyes.

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Doctors and nurses all over the hospital heard the scream. It reverberated off the walls causing everyone within a hundred meters to jump. Nurses dropped their paperwork. Patients panicked, and of course the surgeon operating on Sasuke to remove the gay-ness from him flinched, causing him to cut a main artery. (Sasuke dies people, in case you didn't see that coming. Hello! He dies in all of our stories.)

Tsunade, had been asleep in the chair inside the patient's room. She was obviously startled awake, causing her to fall out of her chair. She looked up in total surprise to see both Gaara and Sakura wearing hospital robes, standing up out of their beds, screaming at each other.

"Lady Tsunade!" The head onbu ninja called as he and his squad raced into the room. All went dead quiet when they saw the scene before them.

"What the hell are you doing in my room?!" Sakura shouted.

"Sakura, Sakura! You're in a hospital! Calm down!" Tsunade called out to her.

"Then why is he in my hospital room?" she cried, pointing at Gaara as if he was a wretched bug that had to be squashed quickly.

"_Your _hospital room?! What the hell are you doing in _my_ room Haruno?!" Gaara growled back.

"It's both of yours room." Tsunade explained.

"WHAT?!!!"

She instantly regretted what she had said.

"Why the hell do I have to share a room? I'm the Kazekage!" Gaara shouted.

"Oh, so just because you're the _Kazekage _you get priority do you? Hate to break it to you Gaara, but you quit remember?"

"I un-quit!"

"You can't un-quit!"

"I can if not doing so means I've got to share a room with you!"

"Oh, and what's wrong with me?!"

"You're a girl!"

"No dua I'm a girl! What does that have to do with anything?"

"I'm a guy!"

Sakura gasped in sarcastic shock, holding her face in her hands like she was truly surprised. "No! I had no idea! And all this time I thought you were a raccoon!"

"Take that back!!"

"You're the one who said it!"

"QUIT!!" Every head in the room turned to face Lady Tsunade. Silence filled the air. "Now," she started, taking in a deep breath. "Everyone just calm down. The reason you both were put in the same room was because the doctors had to monitor both of your conditions at the same time and it was the most convenient way to go about things. Now that you're both conscious you can be moved to separate rooms-"

"Wait. Monitor our conditions?" Gaara questioned.

"Yeah, genius. We're in a hospital, remember?" Sakura grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Well obviously, but what for?" he asked.

"Don't you remember? You got us electrocuted." She snorted.

"_I _got us electrocuted? What the hell?!! You can't blame me Haruno! You're the one who made me electrocute us."

"What do you mean _made you_?"

"If you hadn't come after me-"

"Oh so now it's my fault you ran away because you couldn't man-up to the fact that you're getting married?" Sakura fumed.

"No, I'm just saying if you had never come after me-"

"I HAD to come after you! Tsunade ordered me to!"

"Oh no you don't. Don't try to blame it on someone else so that… hey. It WAS Tsunade's fault! If YOU hadn't set me up with Ino-"

"Oh no! Leave me out of this!" the Hokage said, anime sewat droplets coming off her face.

"Hey, he's right. It _was_ your fault!" Sakura screached.

"No it' wasn't!" The Hokage contradicted. "The wedding was the Suna council's idea. Not mine. And I had to give you the mission Sakura because you're Ino's best friend. And since you accepted the mission I had to send you after Gaara. Didn't I tell you that one of your responsibilities as Wedding Planer is guarding Gaara and Ino?"

"You mentioned the bride part but not the groom part!" Sakura argued back.

"Wait. Hold up. _Wedding Planner?"_ Gaara questioned.

"Yes Gaara! I'm planning your wedding and if you don't shut up and admit it was _not_ my fault that we got electrocuted you are going to be wearing a pink tuxedo! Ha! How's that for informal _Lord Kazekage?" _Sakura sneered.

Gaara narrowed his eyes at her. "You wouldn't."

"Want to bet?! Now get out of my room!"

"What make's it your room?!"

"GET OUT!!!" she screeched.

"Gladly!" Gaara hollered back, marching out of the room with as much dignity he could muster. (Not much considering he just got kicked out of _his_ room by a fuming konoichi and was about to go parading around a hospital wearing nothing but a blue hospital robe.)

As to be expected, the Suna council members were all waiting outside for his appearance.

"Lord Kazekage-" Fukigen started.

"Not now! Get me my clothes and a Suna prisoner on death-row. I want to kill something." He hissed marching past them and towards the hospital's exit doors. The council followed close behind him, at his heals.

"So, what's been going on?"

Fukigen fumbled through a large stack of papers he had been carrying. "Umm… The Kohana council is still awaiting your decision on the marriage issue…"

"Tell them to set a wedding data!" he hollered, throwing his hands up in the air. "It's not like I have much of a choice anyway. I'm going to be forced to agree anyway, right?"

"Yes, My Lord. I'm afraid so."

Gaara groaned as he continued down the street. People stopped to stare at him, a half-naked Kazekage parading down the street with his whole council trailing behind him.

"What else had happened?"

"Well… umm…" Gaara stopped him by halting dead in his tracks and extending his arm, preventing Fukigen from walking on.

"Wait. Exactly how long have I been unconscious?" Gaara questioned in little more than a whisper.

"Umm… Not including the day you were actually electrocuted… four day-"

"FOUR DAYS?!!!!!!"

Fukigen cowered. "I- Is that a problem Sir?"

"Of course it's a problem!" Gaara hollered, entering the Hokage's tower and heading down the first hall he saw. "It was supposed to be back three days ago!!"

"We alerted your stand-in that you were going to be a while and to keep everything under control-"

"That's not the point you idiot!! My stand-in is the problem!"

"Sir?" questioned Fukigen.

"I've left Kankuro in charge of Suna for more than five days!!!"

They were in the hall that branched out into all of their rooms now. Fukigen went pale, freezing in place, his skin being coating in a cold sweat.

"Men," he addressed the other council members. "Pack you things. We leave for Suna in ten minutes, or what's left of Suna anyway…"

***RandomnessRules***

Sakura folded her shirt around her, securing it in the back with a tie. Next she moved to put her hair up with her headband and senbon.

"Sakura, are you sure you want to be up and about so soon? You've only just woken up." Hinata whispered.

"She's right," Tsunade said. "You should take it easy. After all, you've just withstood an extremely deadly experience."

"I'm fine." Sakura reassured them, smiling sweetly. "Besides, now I only have two and a half weeks to plan and get things for the wedding before Ino gets back. I've got to get going on it. It is, after all, a mission."

"Would you like some help?" Hinata offered.

Sakura smiled. "That would be great! Thanks for offering."

"Hey guys!"

Tsunade, Sakura and Hinata all looked to the new addition to their party inside the small hospital room.

Naruto walked over to Hinata with a grin, giving her a one-armed hug and a small peck on the cheek.

"Hey, aren't you supposed to be resting?" he asked Sakura.

"I'm fine Naruto. Did you find Gaara?" she asked, biting her lip. It didn't take long for her to regret yelling at him and she wanted to quickly clear up the bad blood, though on the inside she wasn't quite ready to let it go.

Naruto's face fell. "He already left."

"What?" everyone asked at once.

"Yeah… those ancient Suna council members sure move fast. They were gone by the time I got to the Hokage's tower. According to the guard at the gate they left about a half hour ago. If you send a message out, they should get it by the time they arrive tomorrow."

"Thank you Naruto," Tsunade said sincerely.

"No problem." He smirked.

"Naruto, what's wrong?" It didn't take much to let Hinata know that her boyfriend wasn't as happy as usual.

"Awe nothing, I was just hoping Gaara and I would be able to have that re-match before he left."

"You'll get him next time," she reassured him with a smile.

He grinned. "Yeah, and I'll kick his ass all the way to Tim-Buck-Too!! Hey, anyone up for Ichi-Raku?"

"Typical Naruto. All you ever think about is fighting and food." Sakura mumbled, packing up the rest of her things that had been brought to the room inside of her bag.

"I'm in." Hinata smiled.

"Sure, why not? I could use some food before Hinata and I head out on our massive shopping spree." Sakura said.

Naruto cocked his head to the side, curiously. "Shopping spree?"

"Yeah, didn't you here?" Sakura smirked. "Gaara's getting married."

Naruto fainted.

***RandomnessRules***

Gaara and his team looked up at the gap in the giant sand wall, the entrance to Suna. In fear Kankuro had already burnt it to the ground he made everyone move as quickly as possible. Double time to the one hundredth power. And here they were. Out of breath, exhausted, dehydrated, and barely able to stand on their own two feet, at the gate to Suna.

Most men collapsed right then and there on the ground. In fact, all of them did except Gaara who kept walking on as fast as he could towards the Kazekage's tower.

"Um… Lord Kazekage?" One of the gate guards called after him. "What do we do about them?" he looked back to the dozen or so men all passed out on the desert sand.

"Hall them in." Gaara replied lazily, in too much of a hurry to care what happened to those who were not fit enough to make a two day journey in two hours. He had other business to attend to, like making sure Kankuro hadn't trashed his office.

Who knew? When in came to Kankuro he wouldn't be surprised if he walked in to find a wild frat party taking place complete with some guy running around in a bed sheet for a toga. In fact, he wouldn't be surprised if it was his bed sheet the guy was wearing...

It turned out he didn't have anything to worry about. Apparently Temari had kept his brother on a very short leash while he was away, restraining him from doing anything that might have caused Suna to be devoured in a nuclear explosion or anything like that upon his return.

As for the marriage business Gaara skipped over it, deciding he would tell them after he had taken part in the longest meditation of his life. He had never felt more exhausted.

***RandomnessRules***

Sakura and Hinata blew through the city like a whirlwind, searching every store they laid eyes on for things for the wedding. Colors, flowers, a guest list, and more had already been completed over their guy-free lunch together. Naruto had yet to awaken from his shock-induced-coma and though Hinata was a good girlfriend she wasn't about to sit around the hospital all day waiting for him to snap out of his vegetative state.

"So it's going to be pastel colors for the bride's maids?" Hinata confirmed, pulling a baby blue dress down off the rack.

"Yeah… Oh Hinata that's gorgeous!" Sakura squealed eyeing the dress. "Try it on!" She pushed the shy girl into the dressing room before she could respond.

"So I was thinking you in a color like that, Temari in a light purple, and me in a pastel pink. What do you think?"

"Perfect." Came the muffled reply as Hinata pulled the dress over her head. "So Temari's going to help us once we get to Suna right?"

"I'm assuming so. I mean, what kind of sister doesn't help with their little brother's wedding?"

"So what are we doing about flowers again?"

"I was thinking of going with white lily's, purple tulips, pink roses, and baby's breath dyed light blue. What do you think?"

"That's great! So, the lilies, roses, and tulips in separate arrangements, all complimented with the baby's breath?" Hinata suggested.

"Hinata, that's wonderful! You're a genius! Oh. My. Gosh! That dress is perfect!!!!" Sakura shrieked when her friend emerged draped in baby blue. "Now, if we're lucky we can find something in a similar make for Temari and me."

"I think I saw one like this that was light purple on the wrack." Hinata informed her, heading back into the room to change.

"Alright. You check there, and I'll go look over the wedding dresses."

"Wedding dresses?"

"Yeah," Sakura explained. "You see, Ino and I are the same size basically and I know her taste down to a pin. Besides, it can't hurt to at least look here. I mean, what happens if we get to Suna and there's nothing there she likes? We'd end up having to come back."

"Good idea Sakura." Hinata praised, exiting the dressing room only to make her way back to the clothes wrack.

Sakura smiled, happy her friend was getting into it and walked over to the other side of the store, to where the white dresses were kept. She began to fumble through them, becoming increasingly worried that she couldn't find anything that Ino would even remotely like.

Some were too lacy, some not lacy enough. A few were alright, but not flamboyant enough for Ino. It was as if there was not one thing there suited for her. Then, at the very back of the rack, Sakura found it.

It was whiter than snow with a train so long Sakura couldn't believe it. It was sleeveless with a plunging neckline that would go all the way down to the wearer's belly button. The two sides of the neck line were held together with a thin, white, see-through material with sparkles on it that continued upward to wrap delicately around the neck. The cut in the back plunged downward just as dramatically as the one in the front, ending below the small of her back and held together with a white tie criss-crossing up the length of the back. It had Ino written all over it.

Sakura was in and out of the dressing room before the sails clerk could ask her if she needed assistance. Then, a moment later she was standing on the platform surrounded my mirrors, looking the dress over. It was very reveling, making her feel a bit uncomfortable, but she knew without a doubt that Ino wouldn't mind in the least. The fabric was light and comfortable and Sakura could tell the dress itself would be very flattering to Ino's curves. She turned to the side to examine herself further.

They would probably have to do a few altercations to the end of it to make room for the butt. Ino sure did have a big one… And perhaps a little more room in the front as well. Sakura was well aware her friend wore a size lager than her when it came to both bras and underwear.

_Still… I think Ino's going to love it. _Sakura decided, smiling at herself in the mirror.

**Holey crap. Damn, you are so hot in the dress…**

Sakura froze.

Gaara opened the door to his bedroom and shuffled his way towards the perfectly made bed.

_Finally… Rest… _

_**Sleep! Thank god! I'm exhausted. **_

Gaara's eyes snapped open so wide they threatened to burst out of his eyes sockets.

At the exact same time, hundreds of miles away, both Gaara and Sakura opened their moth to utter a single word.

"Shit."

**And so the plot thickens..........**

**Due to technical difficulties including babbling nonsense, a wild parade of baboons, an accident involving a staircase, and a lack of supply of crimson's psyche meds we will not being saying anything at the end of this chapter. Arn't you happy you don't have to listen to us? ^_^ **


	3. Chapter 3

Key: Read or you won't get anything!!

Naruto rules = Crimson

_**Naruto rules = Tristen1497**_

**Naruto rules = both of us!!!**

_**Pudding!! Bananas!! Football!! Play-**_

Don't you _dare_ say play-dough!

_**Hey, Wh- What's wrong with me? Suddenly the world is filled with happiness and joy! ^_^ **_

Hey, something's wrong with me too! All of a sudden I realized that life sucks and that the world is nothing but a black, spiraling, abysmal, hole of doom and misery!!

_**Crimson! Help me! I can't stop smiling!!**_

WOW. CREEEEPY. Stop smiling at me!

_**I told you I can't! **_

Well… it sure is one REALLY scary image. Hey, I think I know what's wrong with us. Somehow through some unexplained catastrophic event we have switched personalities because we made Gaara and Sakura switch inners!

_**No. I think it had something to do with us tripping up the stairs and running into the glass door that was conveniently placed in the middle of the stair-way.**_ _**And… oh god!!!!**_ _**When I close my eyes I see a guy dressed up as a candy-cane!!!!**_

Oh, you mean Frederic?

_**Who the hell is Frederic?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!**_

I wonder if Gaara and Sakura are having just as rough of a time as we are…

**Note: VERY LONG CHAPTER AHEAD! BEWARE!!!!!!!! **

**Electrocution's actually not that bad**

Key.

Shuukaku – **This print**

Inner Sakura – _**This print**_

**Oh, this is great! (Evil smiley face) Yeah, sure it's creepy and probably dangerous or something, but who cares?! I'm not trapped inside that boring kid anymore, and what's better is Sakura is SMOKING hot! I mean, I didn't think so at first, but DAMN. She looked feekin hot as hell in that dress! ^_^**

_**Hey! I take that as an insult!! Stop talking about me!! **_

**Hey, who the hell are you??!!!! **

_**I'm Sakura obviously! (Stupid head!) More importantly what are YOU doing in my body?!! **_

**Hey, wait. Sakura has an inner like me? **

_**No der Sherlock! But unlike you Shukaku, I'm NOT a demon. I'm Sakura's inner personality speaking and I demand to know what you are doing inside of her/me!!!**_

**Her/me? **

_**Both of us!!! What are you doing inside both of us?!!!! **_

**To be honest, I have no idea. But it sure has been enjoyable! (Creepy smile-grin) Hey, wait. If I'm in Sakura then… what happened to Gaara?**

_**I'm stuck in him, actually. :( **__**What did you think? We were both in Sakura at the same time? Obviously not you dim whit or I would have started yelling at you earlier. Oh… I just thought of something. **_

**What? **

_**How are we able to talk to each other if we are trapped in the subconscious minds of our counterparts? **_

**I've got no idea. **

_**Hey, wait. Another question. Where is Sakura? Shouldn't she be… you know, listening to us have this conversation? I mean, we're technically in her mind I guess. Hey, and we're in Gaara's mind too because that's where I'm connected to right now. So where are they?**_

**Search me. I've got no clue. **

_**No offence, but you're way too dumb to be Gaara's inner. **_

**No offence, but you're way to blunt and outspoken to be Sakura's inner. **Shukaku threw back.

_**What do you mean? **_

**It's just that… whenever Sakura talks she's always so formal and polite. She doesn't seem like the kind of person who tells it like it is and speaks her mind. She's nothing at all like you.**

_**Well, I suppose that's the reason I'm here. Sakura's always thought one thing but been too afraid to say what she meant. It's not often you find what she says is what she's thinking. Sometimes she does… around people she knows well, but usually I'm kept bottled inside. **_Inner Sakura explained.

**That's like Gaara. He agrees with me on the inside because I'm the voice of his inner desires, but on the outside, he's unable to say what he thinks. It's kind of sad actually… **Shukaku said.

There was no reply. Inner Sakura had disappeared from the space between their vessels minds' just as quickly as she had come. Shukaku fell silent, once again confined to the dark, quiet, and empty space of Sakura's subconscious. She'd fallen asleep a while ago, so he was free to think for himself. Oh, wait. That would explain why she wasn't present in the conversation he had just had with her inner.

And speaking of Inner Sakura, her appearance had risen just as many questions as it have managed to lay to rest. Why were they trapped inside the bodies of one another's vessels'? Why were they sometimes able to communicate with each other despite being in two separate minds?

Then there were the other questions. If Sakura kept most of her inner thoughts to herself what was she really like? Shukaku found himself actually looking forward the next time Inner Sakura and him would entered that place where only they could talk to each other. He wanted to know more about her.

***RandomnessRules***

Sakura awoke on her bed with a massive headache. What had happened? She thought back, trying to remember everything. Oh! Now she remembered! She had a horrible nightmare that she'd been shopping for Ino's wedding dress with Hinata when Shukaku had somehow ended up in her mind.

She laughed lightly, her laugh quickly turning into a moan as her head pounded in her skull. What a horrible headache.

Sakura got up out of bed to find herself in her pink PJ's; a tank top and long flannel pants. She shrugged, standing up out of her bed and walking across her room towards the door.

Her room was rather large with a big, comfy, red and pink bed in the middle, red carpeting, and white walls with posters of people from her favorite bands. She had a dresser filled with her ninja tools and a closet at the other end. Rather plain, but it suited her.

She walked out the bedroom door and down the small hall, passing by the entryway to the bathroom as she went. Her apartment's living room was small and comfortable with an old, ratty sofa, a TV, a chair, and a coffee table. Off to one side of the room was her massive movie collection stored inside of a large cabinet, in which also rested the board games she was still so found of.

Sakura made her way strait to the kitchen, a section of space separated from the living room by a piece of the kitchen counter that jetted out to form a barrier. Four stools lined the peninsula-like blockade between the rooms.

She slipped through the space between the peninsula of counter top and the wall into the kitchen itself and made a B-line for the fridge. She was starving.

Sakura froze when she reached the white rectangle set into the wall. There was a note stuck to her fridge. One in Hinata's handwriting.

Sakura,

You passed out in the middle of dress shopping. Tsunade herself came to examine you. She says many people have fainting spells after being struck by lightning. We got you into your PJ's and brought you home. You should be awake and reading this by tomorrow morning. When you're feeling better please call me. We've got a lot to go over about the wedding.

Hinata

Wait. That had really happened? But… But if that had _really, truly _happened then…?

_Hello? _She whispered in her head, frightened by what might respond. Her heart pounded faster as the seconds ticked by, but no one answered.

Sakura sighed in relief. At least that part must have been a dream. She smiled and opened the fridge. It was empty.

Her face scrunched up in confusion. She was sure she had restocked the fridge just last week… There was no way she could be out of food. Then she spotted something. A small, piece of paper taped to the back of her refrigerator.

Sakura,

Brought note over for Hinata. Had snack. Thanks. ^_^

Naruto

"What?!! Having a snack doesn't mean eating everything Naruto!!" she yelled to no one, pumping her fists in the air. Sakura expected her inner to agree with her, shouting within the confines of her mind, but all was quiet, the silence surrounding her ear-shattering.

Sakura frowned. Okay, now things were getting weird. First she had a different inner and now none at all. Maybe Inner Sakura was asleep or something, still deep in her subconscious. That made since, she supposed.

But now she had another problem. She was out of food. Sakura turned back around, headed out of the kitchen with a groan. To-Do-List:

1: Take shower.

2: Kill Naruto

3: Eat-out for breakfast

4: Go to store and get food.

Sakura paused in her room, just as she was about to open her closet to pick out something to wear. She'd better switch number three and two, she thought as her stomach grumbled. Eat first, and then proceed to find Naruto and kill him for eating her food. She smirked. That would work.

She picked out some nice weekend clothes, pink hip-hugger jeans that flared out at the bottom, red flats, and a red and pink hoodie that only went down to her hips. She selected a white T-shirt to wear under it to cover her mid-drift and skulked off to the bathroom, still looking half asleep.

Sakura entered the bathroom, a modest sized room with a two-in-one tub and shower and a large vanity area. Placing her pile of clothes on the closed lid of the toilet seat, Sakura looked herself over in the mirror. She looked like a wreck.

Her pink hair, traveling down to right past her shoulders, was in a whirlwind around her heart shaped face. She also looked exhausted with shadows under her blood-shot eyes. Man did she ever need a vacation, but first thing was first. She had to finish Ino and Gaara's wedding thing. Sakura almost cracked a smile just thinking about them being together. They were SO not a good couple.

Sakura started to strip off her PJ's still contemplating the situation. She wondered why Ino had accepted such a… What was the right word? She couldn't find one. Anyway, she wondered why Ino had agreed to marry Gaara. She knew even less about him than Sakura did, and it wasn't like Ino didn't have better choices. Her friend dominated the Leave Village when it came to who the prettiest girl was. It just didn't make since that she'd choose Gaara of all people.

She turned on the hot water and stepped into the shower. Well, he did look pretty hot as she had admitted to Inner Sakura the other day, but still. He was Sabaku no Gaara. He was ruthless, and mean with a short temper and a blood-thirsty appetite. It was sad to say, but that's what she still thought of him as ever since he had tried to kill her during the Chunin exams. Even when he became best friends with Naruto…

Sakura shook her head. Ino was like her sister and that met Gaara –whether she liked it or not- was going to be her brother-in-law. (EW! So wrong!) She shivered at her own thought. But it was true, right? So that meant she had to be nicer to him.

He was a demon, but so was Naruto in a since. The only difference between them was that Naruto had been luckier. His life hadn't been nearly as horrible. Sakura supposed she should feel bad for Gaara, and give him credit for coming so far, putting his past behind him and moving on.

She pressed her hands against the sides of the shower, lowering her head and sighing heavily as the steam continued to swirl around her.

That's when she made herself a vow. She was going to go through with what her and Inner Sakura had talked about. She was going to make an effort to become friends with him. There was really no avoiding it. First Naruto now Ino. They were linked through their friends/future wife, so there was nothing left to do than to become friends.

She heaved another sigh before turning off the water and opening the shower's glass door. Her slightly fogged up mirror was right across from her, allowing her to stare into the troubled eyes of herself. She looked pathetic, wrapped up in all of her inner turmoil.

**WOW! Damn!! So much better than when you were in the dress!!!! **

Sakura screamed, falling backward in fright. She landed in the slippery, wet tub in an awkward position, her arms and legs sticking out in unnatural angles. Her heart was pounding in her chest, threatening to burst and she could feel her breathing rate climbing higher by the millisecond.

**Hey, No Fair! Stand back up girl and let me see that hot body again! **

"What the hell?!" Sakura shouted out loud to her empty bathroom. "Who… wait. Shukaku?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!"

**Hey sweetheart! (Evil grin) what's up? **

"Wh… what are you doing in… oh, my gosh! You're in my head!"

**I thought we got through this yesterday in the dress shop. **The demon in her head questioned.

"What…? How? Oh, my gosh! This can't be happening to me! I've got to be dreaming!" Sakura sat up, banging her head with her hands, but nothing changed. It most certainly was not a dream.

**You're going to give yourself brain damage, kid. **

"Dreaming! Dreaming! Dreaming!" she kept repeating over and over. Sakura struggled to her feet, blocking out Shukaku's cheering at seeing her naked reflection in the mirror and grabbing a towel as quickly as she could.

**Awe… :( **Shukaku complained.

Sakura just continued to tell herself it was all a dream as she secured the towel around herself and walked to her room.

**Hey, nice place you've got here. **The demon mused.

"You're not really here. This is just a dream." Sakura muttered back, sitting down on the edge of her bed.

**Sorry to burst your bubble kid, but it's real.**

Sakura put her face in her hands, beginning to cry.

**Suck it up. **Shukaku told her without feeling.

She cried louder. "I've got a perverted demon in my head!" she wailed, tears streaming down her face.

**Oh, the irony. I love it. ^_^**** But you don't have to cry you know. I'm not **_**that**_** bad. **

"Yes you are!" she whined.

**Ua, Sakura? I think you should stop talking to yourself before someone hears you. Then everyone will really think that you have lost your mind. **

_What are you doing in my mind? _Sakura cried, keeping her thoughts to herself instead of vocalizing them.

**I haven't actually figured that part out yet. But I do know your inner-self is in Gaara's mind. :) **

_Oh. My. GOD! Wait. How did you know I have an inner personality? _she questioned.

**Ua… Internet? **

_What?_

**Just a lucky guess… I mean, if I'm in your head, then someone's got to be in Gaara's head. **

Sakura's face slowly turned white. _This is NOT good. She'll blab everything to him!! We've got to get back to normal. _

**And how exactly do we do that? **

_Well… as far as I can tell, it happened when Gaara and I were electrocuted. If we can just re-create the event you should end up back in Gaara's head and I'll get Inner Sakura back. _

**Are you saying we should get electrocuted **_**AGAIN??! **_

_That's exactly what I'm saying. _Sakura stood up, wiping away the remnants of her tears and putting on a brave face. "Gaara and I have to get electrocuted again." She said firmly, dead-set in her plan for the future. Find Gaara, get re-electrocuted, (enter stomach rumbling) and then get something to get.

**You're forgetting something Sakura. Gaara's over a thousand mils away, in Suna. **

_Crap. … I guess I'll just have to go to Tsunade and explain things. Then get over there and soon as possible. _Her stomach grumbled again.

**How about we eat first? **

_Good idea… Just one problem. _

**What? **

She bit her lip. _I'd have to get dressed first… _

**(Evil, menacing grin.)**

***RandomnessRules***

Gaara opened his eyes to see the black ceiling above him. He groaned, sitting up and holding the side of his head with one hand. He was in his windowless, dark room, alone.

"Ugg… What happened?" he groaned, half expecting Shukaku to through back an inappropriate comment, but he heard nothing but silence. Gaara froze. He had just realized what he had been doing. He had been sleeping.

Images ran though his head of what Shukaku had done while he had passed out. Sure, he hadn't come out after the electrocution incident but that didn't count. They had probably given him sedatives.

He quickly stood, walking around to the other side of his large, bed with the black comforter and reaching for the phone on the bedside table. He dialed his sister's cell-phone.

_"Hello?" _Came his sister's voice from the other end.

"Temari?"

_"No. It's the Easter-bunny. Of course it's me. What do you want Gaara? You know, you were supposed to be in to work three hours ago. You said you were just taking yesterday to re-cooperate from the journey, not this morning too. The council members have been breathing down my neck-"_

"Temari," he cut her off "Just- Just tell me how much damage I did." He groaned, not looking forward to the casualty report. He was SO fired. He was worse than fired. His reputation would be ruined AGAIN and he'd have to start all over again with earning the people's trust.

_"Gaara, I told you, just because you left Kankuro in charge doesn't mean you're responsible for what he did while you were away. It's my job to make sure he doesn't burn the city down." _

"Wait. Kankuro?" he questioned. She had just lost him.

_"You forgot didn't you? Thought so. You looked really out of it when you got back. Like I said yesterday, Kankuro only made a few TINNY mishaps happen. He caused one sand storm, but the caravan that was caught in it survived. He made two wells go dry, but I think that had something to do with nature and not the experiment he was doing with clams. _

"_The west wing of the hospital burned down because he forgot to turn of that one switch before turning on the heart monitor. Umm… let's see… Then there was the issue with the crocodile –don't ask me how he managed to find one in the desert but he did- and it accidentally got loose in the sewer and-" _

"Temari, hold up. You mean I didn't do any damage last night?" he asked, deciding to forget about the crocodile and everything else for the time being.

"_What are you talking about Gaara?" _

"I… think I fell asleep."

"_WHAT?!!! Wait, but Shukaku didn't come out and destroy everyone?"_

"No."

"_Huh… well that's weird. Who knows? Maybe he was just as tired as you were." _

"Yeah, maybe… Thanks Temari. And tell the council members not to worry. I'll be there soon. Just give me time to take a shower first."

"_Bye." _

"Bye." He almost whispered into the phone, still caught up in his thoughts. The line went dead.

Gaara put the phone down, looking his room over to make sure there was no damage that might have been made by a giant tanuki coming out of him and running ramped. Everything was normal.

He room was large with a king size bed in the middle for show only with a black and red comforter on it. He had a desk in one corner covered in papers he should probably get signed, but wasn't going to. One wall had about a hundred books, scrolls, and ninja tools on it, and, lastly, the room had a set of drawers for his limited wardrobe to rest in. Plain, but it was his style.

The last thing Gaara checked was under his bed where he kept a giant box overflowing with movies. Yes, even he had a hidden secret. He was addicted to movies of all kind.

Gaara shrugged, more confused than ever. Shukaku rarely turned down a chance to get loose. He blew it off as nothing and made he way to other parts of the mansion by exiting his door.

He absolutely loathed having to live in the Kazekage's mansion. It was the place he had grown up in, where some of his worst memories rested, and he had to _live_ there even though his father was dead and gone. It sucked.

Down the hall from his room was his bathroom, large, spacious, and all his. He walked in with a yawn and closed the door behind him, taking off his traveling outfit that he had fallen asleep in. Off came the white sash, then the long–sleeved, high collar crimson shirt, and his under shirt made of netting. Gaara pulled off his crimson cargo pants and was about to go for the boxers when a high-pitched voice from inside his head started to screech.

_**Leather boxers?!!!! Who would have ever thought Gaara of all people wears leather boxers?!! 0_0**_

Gaara froze. No. It couldn't be. That was the same voice in his head he had heard last night before he passed out. He had thought that was a dream or something, never giving it a second thought.

_Who the hell are you? _He whispered to the black abyss that was his mind.

The voice replied slyly. _**Take a wild guess. **_

That time Gaara caught the voice's unique tone, a tone he knew could only belong to one person.

_Haruno? _

_**Close, actually I'm who you'd call Inner Sakura. Oh, I forgot. You use last names. Fine then. Inner Haruno. **_

_Wait. What? What are you talking about INNER? _

_**Okay… Let's see, how can I explain this? Hmm… Alright, you know how you have Shukaku in your head? You talk to Naruto about it all the time, sometimes when I'm there. **_

_Yes…Where is this going? _

_**Well, He's kind'a like your inner self. He's the other half of your personality that most people don't see because you can't just say/do everything you/he are really thinking because that would probably be bad, right? **_

_Right. _

_**Well, to make a long story short, Sakura has an inner self too. Me! ^_^ Because she doesn't say a lot of what she is thinking either. I'm the other half of her personality that you don't get to see. **_

_But you're not a demon?_

_**Correct-a-moon-do! ^_^ **_

_Just one more question, why the hell are you in MY head?!! What happened to Shukaku?!! _

_**Alright, well from what I know I think when you and Sakura were electrocuted you switched inners. So that would make me in your head and Shukaku in Sakura's. **_

Gaara turned as white as a sheet.

_**What is it? **_

_Shukaku's SO perverted!!! She's going to think I am too!!! _

_**Well technically you are because he's a part of you-**_

_Shut it! This is SO not good. The inter-workings of my mind are NOT something other people should be aware off. It's a REALLY bad thing to get inside my head. I've got to fix this now. _

_**And what do you propose we do? **_

_YOU do nothing. I go to Kohana, find Haruno, and get you back in her head and Shukaku back in mine._

_**Why didn't I think of that? Oh, yeah, BECAUSE YOU'RE THE KAZEKAGE!!! They're NOT just going to let you go back to Kohana, especially after what happened with Kankuro. **_

_I've got to try. I can't live like this and Haruno's probably going to have a psychotic break if Shukaku's talking to her. _

Gaara turned around and reached for the door handle leading out of the bathroom. He froze with one hand on the door knob.

_**What is it? **_

_I REALLY need to take a shower first… _

_**Oh! Don't worry about me! ^_^**__** I already saw EVERYTHING I wanted to. ^_^ I told Sakura you were hot. I mean, god, just look at that well-toned chest, and those perfectly sculpted abs, and those god-like arms, not to mention the leather boxers- **_

_Enough!! _

***RandomnessRules***

Gaara walked through the streets of Suna in full Kazekage dress, including his hat, pulled down to cover his eyes. He felt so awkward, It was as if he had a sign around his neck that read: I HAVE A GIRL INSIDE MY HEAD. It was horrible.

He walked right past his drooling secretary, not giving her a second glance, even when Inner Sakura piped up.

_**WOW. They really DO drool over you. **_

_It's just because I'm Kazekage. _

_**Yeah, AND you're hot. **_

_Would you stop saying that?! It's really creepy to know just how much Haruno liked my looks. _

_**It's not like EVERY other girl doesn't think the same thing. **_

Gaara didn't respond. He had reached his office. Temari was sitting behind his desk, scribbling away at a piece of paper and placing it in a stack two feet high. The DONE pile, before taking another one off the four feet tall NOT DONE pile.

She looked up when he closed the door, smiley brightly at him.

"Hey Gaara. Glad to see you could make it. Look." She held up a piece of paper. "I've perfected forging your signature."

"I don't know if I should be pleased or a little worried." He replied, walking forward to look over the paperwork she had signed for him.

"Don't worry. I don't know your credit-card number so you're safe… for now."

He threw her a look that said stop-with-the-jokes-because-you-are-pushing-it. Temari rolled her eyes before collecting her things and moving from behind his desk.

"I need you to round up the council members and get then in her as soon as you can. I have important new." He murmured, moving to sit in his now unoccupied chair.

"Got it." Temari said. She started to head for the door.

**_WAIT!!! Ask her where she got those black Prada shoes! _**(We don't speak shoes so we don't know how to spell Prada. So kill us.)

_No! _

_**I MUST know! **_

_I said no! _

_**I'll tell Sakura about the leather boxers. **_

…_Fine. _

_**Black-mail rocks! ^_^**_

"Hey Temari?" he asked.

She turned around at the door and looked back at him. "Yes?"

"Where did you get those black prada shoes?"

Temari's eyes threatened to come out of her head. "How did you know they were prada?"

"I just did." Gaara answered flatly.

"Guy's don't speak shoes. I must be hung over or something…" She turned and walked out the door muttering something about no more tequila before work.

_**AWE! Smooth move genies! I wanted a pair of those... **_Inner Sakura pouted.

Gaara rolled his eyes. This was torture for him and everyone around him.

Thankfully the council members arrived within the next ten minutes so he wasn't left along with Sakura's Inner for too long. They crowded around his desk, looking at him seriously. Temari was there too.

"Thank you all for coming," he started as usual. "I have something very important to ask you."

"What is it Lord Kazekage?" Fukigen asked.

"I need your permission to head back to Kohana."

"WHAT?!" they all shouted, followed by endless streams of excuses why he couldn't go.

"I would only be for a day or two." He added. It didn't change anything in their eyes.

"Gaara, you just got back, and I don't think this city can survive Kankuro without you." Temari said with a deeply disturbed look on her face.

"I HAVE to go." He argued with them.

"Why my Lord?" questioned Fukigen.

Gaara choose his words very carefully. "I think something might have gone wrong during the electrocution incident and I believe going back to the city for a few days will allow me to clear everything up."

"Wait. Electrocution?"" Temari questioned. Oh, that was right. He hadn't mentioned it to her yet…

"Kazekage-sama…" Fukigen almost groaned. "We really can't afford for you to go back now."

Gaara's face hardened. "FINE!" He barked at them, rising out of his chair and marching out the door before anyone could say anything else.

"What electrocution?" Temari asked the council members.

Fukigen explained. "Kazekage-sama acsidently got electrocuted when he was in Kohana."

"What? How?" Temari asked, panicked and frightened for her brother's well-being.

"I don't really know," The council member replied. "Sakura Haruno was with him. Not me. She was trying to convince him to go through with the wedding and-"

Temari cut him off. "WEDDING?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?"

***RandomnessRules***

Sakura felt so strange, walking into Ichi-Raku. Just knowing that Shukaku was in her mind was enough to make her feel subconscious, like the whole world knew too.

Her worry went away when she smelled the ramen cooking. Her stomach grumbled again. With all the delays she had had that morning she never thought she would get to eat.

First there was the initial oh-my-god-Shukaku-is-in-my-brain thing, then the half an hour long debate they had, trying to get the pervy demon to agree to not look while she got dressed. They finally agreed he wouldn't look if she didn't tell Gaara what he had said about her looking hot.

"Hey Sakura!"

Her head turned in the direction of the familiar voice. Naruto was suddenly right next to her, smiling at her. "What's up?" he asked.

"Oh, nothing much." She lied, trying to act casual.

**Oh! Tell him to tell Kyuubi I can't wait for our rematch. **

_Not on your life. _

"So how are things going with you?" she asked.

"Alright I guess. It was a bit of a shock to find out about the Gaara thing though. Who ever thought _he'd_ get married? And to Ino!"

"I know right?" she laughed, trying to keep the conversation light. "Hey, you wouldn't happen to know if Lady Tsunade's in her office would you?"

"Actually, I'm not."

The two look to the side to see Tsunade approaching Ichi-Raku.

"Hey, Grandma Tsunade! What are you doing here?" Naruto blurted out.

A vein popped out of the Hokage's forehead at the grandma part but she answered his question, regardless.

"I'm avoiding Shizune. She's trying to get me to do paperwork." Tsunade replied.

"What can I get for you?" the Ramen maser asked as he approached the counter.

"The usual! To go! I've got to go train!" Naruto said enthusiastically.

"And you to?" he asked Sakura and Tsunade.

"I'll take some of your best sake." Tsunade said, trying to hide her excitement.

"I'll have the biggest bowl of ramen you can whip up. With extra barbeque pork." Said Sakura, nearly drooling at the very thought.

"Hungry Sakura?" Tsunade asked.

"Starving." Sakura licked her lips as her bowl was placed in front of her. She broke her chopsticks and dug in, devouring her meal at an alarming rate. Tsunade was too preoccupied with her sake to notice.

"Lady Tsunade, I have a very important request for you." Sakura brought up, once her ramen was gone.

"Yes?" The Hokage, asked, still coherent despite working on her third shot of sake.

Sakura thought her words through carefully, making sure her excuse was plausible. "I was wondering if I could head over to Suna, say tomorrow? Instead of waiting for Ino to come. That way I could finish setting up for the wedding over there."

"You can't be done getting everything you'll need yet." Tsunade said.

"No, but I could just get the things from Suna."

"You won't be able to get everything you need. Or at least not exactly what you need. You see, the sand storms are moving in, so the caravan season is basically over. They won't be getting new shipments of luxury goods there for a few months. Besides, if you leave now, not only would the village have to finance your journey there, but the journey you would have to take back to come get Ino and the last trip back to Suna."

"But Lady Tsunade-" Sakura tried to plead.

"I'm sorry Sakura, but the answer is no." The Hokage said sternly, continuing to drink her alcohol.

Sakura felt her heart sink there and then.

**Look's like you're going to have to live with me for the next few weeks. :) **Shukaku grinned slyly.

Two weeks. Stuck with pervy Shukaku inside of her mind. She was never going to be able to change her clothes again.

Umm… Tristen is in the bathroom trying to use duck tape to stop from smiling so… goodbye I guess. Have fun with your miserable, pointless lives. I hate being Emo.... -_-

_**(Tristen with duck tape over her mouth) Mmmmmmm! Mmm! Mmmm! Mmmmmmmmm! Mmm! Mmmmm! ^_^ ^_^ ^_^ ^_^ **_

**Note: The next chapter up-date will be next Sunday as usual. Tristen still has to get through finals. If she was Emo right now she would tell you to shut up and stop complaining! You're lucky you got this chapter on time because she almost didn't write it because of the cramming she still has to do. **


	4. Chapter 4

Key: Read or you won't get anything!!

Naruto rules = Crimson

_**Naruto rules = Tristen**_

**Naruto rules = both of us!!!**

**NOTE!! Tristen passed all her finals!! So you get this chapter early! ^_^ **

I'm new to this world of Emo. How does Tristen usually start off a chapter?

_**With joy and happiness! ^_^ And… LOT'S of sugar!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**_

I hate being Emo. It's no fun. -_-

_**Don't flatter yourself! You're horrible at it! I haven't seen you cry once today!**_

I could cry if I wanted to. -_-

"_**It's my party and I'll cry if I want to, cry if I want to!" Wait! NO!!!! Must. Fight. Peppiness. And urge to burst out into song!!!!!! What was I going to say? Oh, yeah. Prove it!!!! **_

……..(Long silence in which Crimson tried to make herself cry. Five minutes later…. ONE tear falls from her eye) Ha! See?!!! Told you!!!

_**That was nothing! This is how you cry! (Sprays pepper-spray in Crimson's face) **_

HAA!!!!!!!!!!! IT BURNS!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU IDIOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

_**Bye! ^_^ I have to run now. **_

**ANOTHER NOITE!!!!! :This ch. isn't really funny... or random.... :( but we had to put it in to progress the plot line. But trust us. The next one will SO split your sides. It just might be our funniest piece of work ever. **

**Electrocution is actually not that bad. **

Key.

Shuukaku – **This print**

Inner Sakura – _**This print**_

Two and a half weeks. Sakura had been stuck with Shukaku in her head for _two and a half WEEKS!!_ She was at her whit's end. He made EVERYTHING perverted and NEVER left her alone. Not to mention the fact that she had to take showers and get dressed with her eyes closed.

He constantly kept talking to her, giving her a horrible migraine some days. She must have gone though at least a whole bottle of ibuprofen… At least Inner Sakura had never been THAT bad. Sakura never thought she'd say it, but she missed her inner self in her ear. Anything but Shukaku!!

Then, on top of everything she had to plan her friend's wedding!!! With all the interruption she was getting from Shukaku Ino would be lucky if she didn't end up with a wedding based around raccoons! Stupid perverted tanuki in her head…

But still, the thing Sakura didn't like the most was that in a weird, impossible, never-admit-to-anyone way, she was starting to get _used_ to Shukaku. Sometimes they talked about things, and Sakura found she _liked_ their discussion. It was hard to admit, even to herself, but she was becoming friends with Shukaku. Even harder to admit was that that meant she was becoming friends with Gaara. The _real_ Gaara, minus the perverted-ness.

In a way, it made her goal a lot easier. She _had_ promised herself that she would become friends with Gaara, and here she was going just that (sort of) and she found it wasn't as painful as she thought it was going to be. At least Ino would be happy.

And speaking of Ino today was the day she was going to return…

_**So what movie did you watch last night? **_Inner Sakura asked.

**Underworld Evolution. It rocked. ^_^ Me and Sakura were screaming at the TV the whole time for the stupid main guy to do this or that.**

_**Not fair. :( I haven't seen that one with her yet. You're so mean. **_

**Hey, it was her turn to pick the movie. So what have you and Gaara been up to? **

_**Not much actually. He's been enjoying his time without you I guess. Apparently he REALLY likes sleeping. Other than that, it's just a bunch of work. **_

**Wait. So you mean he hasn't taken a day off since he got back? **

_**No. He's such a work-a-holic. I don't know what he's going to do when you guys show up here. He's going to have so much time he's supposed to be spending with Ino and the others.**_

**He need's a day to himself before the fiancé comes and ruins everything. Tell him to take the day off. **

_**Alright. **_

**Well, I've got to go. Sakura's waiting up. **

_**Talk to you later. **_

**See ya. **

The alarm sounded and Sakura groaned, throwing the pillow over her head. She hated mornings. She grumbled, rolling over to hit the snooze button, then turned over again, curling up under the covers, refusing to get out of bed.

Shukaku came from the back of her mind, his thoughts still centered on when he would get to talk to Inner Sakura again. They had figured out why they could sometimes talk to each other. Whenever both Sakura and Gaara were asleep at the same time, since their inners were still linked to one another's brains they could talk to each other. But once Sakura or Gaara woke up they would be pulled back to the mind they were currently attached to. Complicated, but true.

Shuukaku and Inner Sakura even figured out why Gaara could manage to sleep. It turned out that because Shukaku's mind was in Sakura it allowed Gaara to sleep, but since his powers were still within the Kazekage Sakura couldn't go on a rampage like Gaara used to do when he fell asleep. Make since? No? Too bad, because it was also true.

**Hey? Sakura? **Shukaku called out, trying to coax her out of bed. **Time to get up. This is the day Ino comes back. Remember? Get up! **

_Sakura is not here. Please leave a message after the beep. _Sakura thought back.

**Please get up! Look at it this way, if you don't you might never get rid of me. ^_^ **

_Sleeeeeeeeeeeeep!!!! _She groaned.

**Get uuuuuuuuuuuuuup! **Shukaku mimicked her tone.

"Fine!" Sakura pouted, throwing the covers off of her and hopping out of bed. Standing a little too quickly, her vision went blurry for a moment and she had to sit down on the edge of her bed to make the room stop spinning.

_SOOOOOOO Tired!! _She moaned.

**Sorry. It's my fault. I'm the one who wanted to watch the movie. **

_Yes. It's all your fault. _Sakura agreed with him.

**But it was an awesome movie. I liked the blood. **

_It was a good movie wasn't it? But I liked the romance better. _

**Oh come on! You can not seriously tell me that that nasty kissing-stuff was better than Marcus getting blown apart by helicopter blades! And when Craven's head was torn apart! That was so cool! **

_Whatever. _Sakura stood up off the bed and walked towards her bathroom.

**So what are we doing today? **

_Hinata and I are going to make sure we've got everything we need to bring and schedule transportation for all of it to Suna. _Sakura turned on the water in the shower and closed her eyes so she could strip off her clothes.

**You guys went with the blood-red undershirt for Gaara's tux right? **

Sakura rolled her eyes. _Yes. _Her and Hinata and decided against pastels for the wedding after what Shukaku told Sakura about how he hated them with a bloody passion. Sakura figured if he was going through with a wedding he didn't want to have in the first place she might as well be nice and give Gaara wedding colors he would be happy with. Everything was to be in white, the color of fresh blood to match Gaara's hair, and crimson to compliment it.

The bride's maids would all be dressed in the bright red with crimson accents. Sakura and Hinata had already picked out four different dresses for each girl. Herself, Hinata, Temari, and Tenten. And of course, courtesy of Shukaku, Gaara would have a red under shirt for his tux. Then, the flowers would be red roses and lots of them. They had ordered a ton.

Sakura stepped into the shower, feeling around for her shampoo and body wash. It was finally hitting her that Shukaku would be gone in a few days. After all, now that Ino was back they would be leaving for Suna, most likely tomorrow. It was strange, but in a weird way she supposed she was going to… miss him.

**I'm touched. (Fake crying.) You're really going to miss me? **

_I guess… not much though. It will be nice to have my own inner inside me again. But it was nice knowing you Shukaku. _

**Do you really mean that?**

_No. You're SO annoying. _

**It's been a pleasure knowing you too Sakura. **

_Aw, crap. _

**What? **

_I just remembered, I have to do paperwork today. (Sad face.) _

**You know how I said you could never hate it as much as Gaara? Well, I think I take it back. You two are about equal on the hating of paperwork scale. **

_Oh, thanks. (Sarcastic voice.) _

**So what movie are we watching tonight? **Shukaku asked enthusiastically.

_The Grudge._

**No kidding? That's one of Gaara's favorite movies! ^_^ **

_Seriously? Cool. It's one of mine too. _

**Really? Because you don't strike me as the horror type. **

_Shukaku, when are going to learn that despite my appearance I'm the exact opposite on the inside?_

**Oh, yeah. Sorry. **Over the last two and a half weeks he had learned that Sakura was a lot like her inner on the inside despite his doubts in the beginning. She had a very blunt opinion on everything and didn't sugar-coat her thoughts. She was spunky, fiery, and wanted desperately to be outspoken. It was just her shy streak that held her back.

Shukaku had learned that he actually enjoyed Sakura's company, just as he enjoyed the company of her inner. They were the same person after all, and their personality was so refreshing compared to everyone else's.

Sakura exited the shower and got dressed, going to the kitchen to cook herself breakfast. Shukaku already knew what she would make. Two scrambled eggs with a hash brown crumbled over the top of it, drenched in ketchup, and a red apple. Possibly the weirdest breakfast combo in the history of forever, but that wasn't why Shukaku was shocked to find that she liked it. He was shocked because it was also Gaara's favorite breakfast. Strange really, how much they had in common…

Sakura ate, went to do her paperwork, which took most of the morning, then headed out for lunch at Ichi-Raku.

"Sakura! You made it!" Naruto smiled at her when she arrived. Hinata, sitting at his side, also grinned at her.

"Hey guys. What's up?" She asked.

"Nothing much. I found a caravan to take us to Suna. They're loading up everything right now. They said they'll be set to go by tomorrow, early in the morning. All we have to do is wait for Ino to show." Hinata looked at her watch. "She's supposed to get in at two this afternoon. So we've got just over two hours."

"Great. We can have lunch and then maybe head down to the training field."

"Awesome!!!" Naruto cheered. "Sakura, will you spare with me?!"

"Sure," she agreed. Naruto smiled at her.

They headed over to the training fields once their lunch had been finished. It was a cool spring day with a light breeze. Perfect conditions for sparing. Hinata settled herself under a tree at the edge of the grassy field, basking in the shade the big branches provided.

"I'll be referee." She smiled.

"Thanks!" Naruto said happily, taking his position at one end of the field. Sakura took her stance at the other end.

**Hey Sakura? **

_What is it? _

**Can I ask you a favor? **

_What? _Her tone was cautious, like she knew what he was about to ask wasn't very appropriate.

**Can you PLEASE ask Naruto if I can fight the Kyuubi? PLEASE!!!! **

_Are you nuts? I may have you in my mind, but your powers are still in Gaara. I'm, no demon! I wouldn't stand a chance!_

**You're right. Your body isn't strong enough. But I bet I could win with my intelligence alone. Think about it. You know Naruto, better even than Gaara does. And I know Kyuubi. We could do it Sakura! PLEASE? I'm SO bored. **

_No! besides, Naruto wouldn't allow it! He knows he could hurt me. _

**Don't you want to see if you can take him on? Don't you want to see how strong you truly are? Naruto is the only person you can fight without holding anything back. Don't you want to push yourself? I know you do. You're like Gaara in that way, always taking it to the next level. **

Sakura bit her lip. Shukaku was right. She really did want to push herself. To see what she could really do. But would Naruto ever allow it?

**Only one way to find out. Come on. What's it going to hurt?**

He was right. What would it hurt just to ask?

"Hey Naruto?" Sakura questioned shyly, like a little girl asking for something she knew was inappropriate.

"Yeah Sakura?" he asked.

"Umm… I was wondering… Could I fight the Kyuubi?" Sakura regretted asking as soon as the words left her mouth. Naruto's eyes widened, becoming confused and a little disbelieving.

He laughed, trying to blow it off as a joke. "Yeah right. Good one Sakura. You really had me going there for a moment."

"I'm serious." She said. Wait. Why did she say that? Why didn't she just say she _was_ joking? Why did she have to go off and say she was serious? Stupid!

"No, really?" Naruto asked in shock.

"Yes Naruto. I want to see how far I can push myself, and well… Kyuubi's probably the only one I could fight without seriously injuring."

Naruto blinked for a bit, still in disbelief that Sakura would ask such a thing of him. Really? What was he supposed to do? Risk hurting his friend? But Sakura really seemed to want to fight him. What was the cost-benefit of this decision going to be?

"Umm… sure Sakura. I guess so. But I think we should put special rules in place. That way I don't hurt you." Naruto gave in.

"Like what?" she asked.

"Let's see… I'm not going to go as far as to bring out any tails-"

**That's no fun!! **

"-and I think there should be a limit, like the first person to score three blows, no matter how harmful, wins." Naruto finished.

"Alright." Sakura agreed. She would take what she could get. "But Naruto?"

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Don't hold back. Use all of the power you've limited yourself to." Sakura stressed.

Naruto smirked at her. "Believe it." He gave her the thumbs-up sign.

Hinata, looking a bit nervous, stood to take her place as referee. "You two know the rules. Naruto, no bringing out the tails but no holding back beyond that. The first person to score three blows off their opponent wins. Ready?"

The two took their positions.

"Fight!"

Naruto opened his eyes, revealing the red irises of the fox within him. Sakura saw his fangs grow and the smirk he sent her way as if to say 'you're in WAY over your head' then he disappeared, moving so fast she couldn't see him.

**Listen Sakura, **Shukaku instructed. **Do exactly as I say. Now tell me, where does Naruto usually attack from?**

_He like's frontal attacks. _

**What a coincidence. So does Kyuubi. But he'll anticipate that you know that so don't retreat backward. He'll have a trap for you. Instead go forward with your own attack. Take him by surprise. And don't forget to duck. Kyuubi like hitting you in the face.**

_Got it. _

Sure enough Naruto appeared in front of her then and Sakura did as instructed. Instead of stepping backward to create space between her and her opponent she stepped forward, closing the small gab between them, ducking as she did so. Sakura's fist collided with the ground, rock and earth flying everywhere. Naruto was knocked off his feet when a large rock hit him under the jaw.

"Score one for Sakura." Hinata announced. Naruto's eyes widened and the fight began.

In the next twenty minutes Sakura scored another blow and Naruto got two. At the end they were both breathing heavily, tied with one blow each to go.

**Sakura listen to me. Try to get him spinning a few times if you can. Then hit him on the far left side. **

_Why?_

**A fox's vision is centered very much on what is directly in front of them. Not so much on the sides. If you get him spinning it will mess up his vision a little bit, tricking his already poor eyesight in the corners of his eyes. Then you'll be free to strike. **

_Whatever you say, Boss. _She teased, charging towards Naruto. He came forward as well, raising his fists to hit her.

**He'll swing right. **

Sakura dodged and countered, knocking Naruto into the air, sending him upward in a spiral motion. Spinning. Perfect.

She jumped, taking her chance. Sakura saw her friend's eyes widen for a split second, knowing what was coming but unable to prevent it. She hit him directly in his left shoulder, sending him hurtling towards the ground, hitting it with such force that more of the earth was torn up.

"Sakura wins!" Hinata said happily. She herself didn't think her friend had it in her, knowing how strong Naruto was. He must have let her win, she decided.

_I did it! _

**We did it! Ha! We make a good team kid! ^_^ **

_Yeah! Cha!! High five! _

**Metaphorically speaking? **

_Sure, why not? _

Naruto sat up with a groan, holding his head in his hands. Since when did Sakura know how to block him perfectly? He had given his all, even being tempted to bring out one of the nine tails towards the end. No one knew the workings of his and his demon's mind so well. At least not Sakura…

"Ha! I told you I could do it Naruto!" Sakura cheered.

He smiled at her. "Yep. You beat me fair and square. Way to go Sakura. You've gotten a lot stronger. It was like you were inside my mind-"

Naruto cut himself off, his eyes going wide.

**Ua oh. **

_What do you mean 'Ua oh'? _Sakura questioned.

**I think Kyuubi might have figured us out. **

_What do you mean?!! _She shouted to Shukaku, but the demon was long gone, retreating into the back of her mind.

"You may know me but… No one knows Kyuubi that well…" Naruto whispered, looking at her, completely shocked. "No one but another demon. Like the three-tailed cat, or Shukaku…"

**Yep. Kyuubi figured us out. Damn. **

"Sakura…?" Naruto questioned, rising to his feet. "Is there something you're not telling us?"

***RandomnessRules***

Sakura, Hinata, and Naruto all laughed together, walking towards the village gates to welcome Ino back home. She would be arriving any moment.

Despite her vow to not tell anyone about what happened because of how embracing it was Sakura finally spilled the beans to Hinata and Naruto. After all, what else could she do? They were her friends and she had kept it a secret for far too long.

Hinata felt bad for her, asking over and over again what she could do to help, asking why she hadn't spoken about it since it happened. Not even to the Hokage.

Naruto sympathized with her, assuring her that though both Gaara and Shukaku were a little… let's go with different, she wouldn't be scared for life (TOO badly) and that he would help her manage Shukaku any time she asked. Sakura thanked both of them from the bottom of her heat, only requesting that they didn't tell anyone else. It was embracing enough without the whole world knowing about it.

"So Naruto, is Kyuubi just as perverted?" Sakura asked him as they walked towards the front gate.

**Yes. **Shukaku said, like she was stupid for even asking.

"Yes." Naruto admitted. "But don't worry. Demons are naturally perverted. Just because his demon is doesn't mean Gaara is. That's the only thing about our demons that isn't a reflection of our inner-most selves. They're perverted and we're not. At least… I _hope_ Gaara's not."

They all laughed lightly as they arrived at the gate, looking out to the deserted path leading into the forest beyond. Now all they had to do was wait for Ino to make her appearance.

"Wait. So if Shukaku's in your head, then what's up with Gaara?" Hinata asked.

"Well… I've got sort of this… let's call her an inner-self (instead of a colossal pain in the butt) She's sort of my inner voice talking. You know how I act around you guys? Well, she's just like that. And how I act around the Hokage and others that I don't know well or are above me in rank is the other side of me."

"I get it." Naruto mused, but then his eyes went big with shock. "So you mean to tell me that the pushy, outspoken, blunt, scary-as-hell, assertive, and loud-mouthed part of you is inside _Gaara's head?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!_"

"I'm _not_ loud mouthed." Sakura glared.

**Yes you are. **

_Shut it. _

"So that's means it's true???!!!!!!" Oh my god! If you're having a hard time with Shukaku I don't even want to imagine what kind of hell Gaara's going though right now. I mean, it's hard enough for a guy to have a girl in his head, but _Gaara?!_ He's probably dead by now. That's why he didn't come back to try and get back to normal after you couldn't get to him. Inner Sakura killed him."

"Very funny Naruto, but I think he can handle it just fine. And besides, if he's dead it's because of the wedding and not because of me." Sakura threw back at him.

Naruto gave her his you're-probably-right look.

"Look!" Hinata exclaimed, pointing to the bend in the trail. Everyone held their breath, waiting silently. Then the figure rounded the bend, coming into view.

"Ino!!" they all shouted at once, racing towards her. The young konoichi didn't even have time to blink before she was tackled to the ground by her three friends, caught in an inescapable bear hug.

"Can't breathe guys." She croaked, squished between her friends and the dirt floor of the path. They got off her, Naruto helping her to her feet only to give her another monstrous hug.

"We've missed you so much!" Hinata said happily as she walked forward to receive her hug.

"Yeah. I mean, how am I suppose to focus on training when my best friend isn't here to tell me I'm pathetic and I need to work harder?" Sakura added with a smirk.

"What?!! You mean I'm not your best friend?" Naruto said in a voice filled with distress. No one knew if he was joking or not.

"Well, I'm back now." Ino said as she dusted off the dirt that had gotten on her purple outfit when she was tackled to the ground.

"Yeah, but then you're going to leave again. And then I'm never going to see you! EVER! Why didn't you tell me you were going to marry the Kazekage?" Sakura scolded.

Ino blushed. "So you know about that?"

"Know about it?!! I'm the one planning your wedding!!!" Sakura yelled at her.

Ino's face lit up. "Really?!!"

"Ua, YEAH!" Sakura said in a mocking tone. The two girls started squealing together, joined by Hinata in an all-girls hug. They kicked Naruto out before he got a chance to join.

"This is so exciting! I thought I wasn't going to get a say. But with you planning it it's sure to be everything I want!" Ino smiled happily. "So, how did you do it? What are the colors? Guests? Oh!! What's my dress look like??!!!"

"Come on; we'll show you. The caravan we're leaving with tomorrow is packing it all up now." Said Sakura, leading her friends off in one direction. Ino and Hinata raced off after her, leaving Naruto in the dust. Oh how he hated it when girls got to gather and started acting all… well… girly. It always meant he would be left out of the loop.

Sakura dragged Ino down the streets, this way and that until they came to a small collection of houses off to one side of the village.

"Hello again Miss." Greeted the first person they saw, a thirty-year old man with a deep voice, broad shoulders, and dark hair.

"Hello." Sakura said. "Ino, this is Yazumi Kanji, the head of the caravan taking us to Suna."

Ino shook the man's hand. "It's a pleasure to meat you Miss. Yamanaka. I can assure you that all of your supplies as well as your person will be well protected as we make our journey through the desert."

At that point three young men approached them, all of them baring looks similar to Yazumi. He introduced them all.

"These are my sons. They are all trained shinobi as well as experts in the way of the caravan and the lands we travel over. They will be helping to guard you on your journey. This is my eldest, Gouman. Okubyou, the middle son, and my youngest Shinsetsu.

Naruto, Sakura, Hinata, and Ino looked to each son as they were introduced. The first looked beyond stuck-up, like they were all beneath him. The second seemed shy and a bit timid, and the last of them looked friendly and kind, egger to make friends.

"We're just packing up the wedding things. Would you like to see?" Shinsetsu asked, addressing Sakura directly rather than Ino.

"Yes." She replied, knowing full well Ino couldn't wait to see her wedding dress.

They all followed the youngest son as he led them through the twists and turns of carts, horses, and people loading goods. They stopped at one of the large carts towards the back of the line.

"Here they are." Shinsetsu said, going to pull a large chest off of the cart. "I'll leave you to your business. Just call for me when you are done and I'll re-pack everything back up." He said with a friendly smile.

"Uh, a- Actually, I can take care o- of the things when they're done."

Sakura and the others turned to see the second son, Okubyou, standing behind them. He fumbled with his fingers like Hinata did when she was nervous and looked to the floor a lot rather than making eye contact.

"Thanks for the offer Okubyou, but I can handle it." His brother said with a smile.

"I can do it." Okubyou insisted. "I can be of use to Miss. Haruno too."

"I'll take care of it." Shinsetsu said with a little more force, like he was becoming aggravated.

Sakura, Ino, Naruto, and Hinata just stood bye, confused and a little weird-ed out.

"Aw. Look how sweet. You're feuding over a girl." Everyone turned from the two youngest brother's squabble to see the eldest leaning against a wagon. He was definitely the cutest out of all of them, but his bad-attitude that seemed to radiate out of him ruined them. He glared at his two younger brothers as they looked to the ground, both blushing.

"Stop acting like idiots, will you? She's not even that pretty. _I'll _put the things away when they're done looking at them. Now get. Father wants to see you both." He barked. The other two left with their heads hung low.

"You'll have to excuse my brothers. They don't know how to behave very well." He told them with a cold, heartless stare before walking away.

"Well that was weird." Naruto mused.

"_Really _weird." Hinata agreed.

"Who cares? I want to see my dress!" Ino squealed, jumping onto the chest Shinsetsu had removed from the cart.

_I wonder what that was all about? _Sakura thought to herself.

**I don't like them. You need to find a different caravan. **

_There's no time to find a different one. Besides, they're alright. I don't think there's anything wrong with them. _

**Oh, there's something wrong with them alright. Especially the oldest. Not even that pretty my ass. **

_What? _

**Don't tell me you didn't get that conversation. **

_Not really. Why? _

**You're so blind to the way of guys. Okay. Here's the deal. Shinsetsu and Okubyou both like you. And, what was his name? Gouman? He just called you ugly. **

_What?! _Sakura's temper flared. _I am NOT ugly! Wait. Shinsetsu and Okubyou like me? _

**Yes. And I don't like it. **

_Jealous much Shukaku? _Sakura teased.

**No! I just don't appreciate having people drooling over my host. It's bad enough with Gaara and his fan girls, but now I've got to make sure no one gets too close to you too? Kill me now please. **

_You're protective of me? ^_^ _

**Wait. No! I never said-**

_How sweet! _

"Sakura! Oh. My. GOD! This is so perfect." Ino shrieked, pulling out her wedding dress. She ran over and gave her best friend a spine-crushing hug. "It's everything I imagined! Thank you! Thank you!!"

"I'm glad you like it Ino." Sakura smiled. "Do you want to see the bride's maid's gowns?"

"Um… YES!!!!" Ino said happily, full of glee.

Sakura rummaged through the crate for the first box, bringing it out to show her Hinata's gown.

"Whoa." Ino said, eyeing the bright color. "I take it red and white are the wedding colors?"

Sakura looked worried. "Do you not like them?"

"Oh no!" Ino reassured her. "I love it. Red is so… passionate and full of love. Plus, it's not like its common for weddings so I'm bound to have the most unique one ever." Ino hugged her again. "I just never thought you'd pick it."

"Well we were going to go with pastels," Hinata said, "but we figured we'd give Gaara a break and not torture him too much."

Ino looked at her with confusion. "Gaara?"

"Yeah. He likes red, so we thought what the heck? The least we could do was theme his wedding around a color he likes." Sakura teased.

Ino didn't respond. She looked like she was processing information she found unbelievable.

"Ino are you alright?" Naruto asked, a little worried.

She snapped out of it, blinking a few times. "Oh, I umm… I just forgot something! I've got work to do before we leave. So yeah… I'll, I'll see you guys at the gate tomorrow. What time are we leaving?"

"Around four in the morning. But Ino wait. What's up?" Sakura question. She still knew something was off.

"Nothing. I've got to go." Ino turned and walked away before anyone could ask anything else. As if things couldn't get any more confusing.

"Are we done here?" She turned to see Shinsetsu behind her, smiling.

"Yes. Thank you." She said, smiling back.

He nodded, leaning over the crate to re-pack everything up. "Well… I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah. See ya." Sakura said.

He smiled once more to her before walking away, off to help someone load something onto a different cart. Sakura, Naruto, and Hinata all said goodbye, going their separate ways, off to prepare for the trip in the morning. Naruto and Hinata were coming to act as extra protection for Ino and of course to help Sakura with the wedding.

Unbelievable. Two more days and they would be in Suna.

***RandomnessRules***

Gaara's hand clenched around his pen as Fukigen placed a stack of papers three feet high on his desk.

"These are the hospital's requests and their plans for training more medical ninja. Everything's in there. Supplies. Funds. Anything else you could imagine. They're due back in one week." He said, turning to leave Gaara's office.

Gaara glared at the paper as if doing so would make it burst into flames. Oh how he wished it would. It wouldn't be too hard to explain the fire…

_**You should just leave it. You need a break. **_

Gaara sighed. Paperwork wasn't the only thing that had him so stressed these days.

Two and a half weeks of pure torture. That's what having Inner Sakura in his head was. At first he thought for sure he wouldn't have to stand it for long. Just a few days, he told himself, then Sakura would show up and they'd figure out how to switch back. But she never showed. Stupid Haruno.

Having a girl inside his head, especially Haruno, was enough to kill him. Put the stress of being the Kazekage and the wedding stuff on top of that and it was a miracle Gaara hadn't committed suicide yet.

_**I'm not that bad. **_Inner Sakura argued back at him.

Gaara supposed she was right, in a way. He could have been stuck with worse. He could have had an insanely preppy, knaggy, whiny, prissy, girl in his head. At least Inner Sakura wasn't like that. Gaara tried to imagine what it would be like if it someone else, like Ino's inner-voice, was stuck in his head. He shivered at the thought. Having to marry the woman was bad enough.

And when he really thought about it Inner Sakura was a lot like Shukaku in many ways. They were both outspoken, blunt, and got straight to the point. Yes. A girl version of Shukaku. That's what Inner Sakura was to him.

_**Oh, that's flattering… NOT! I can NOT believe you just compared me to Shukaku. (Shudders.) **_

Yep. Just like Shukaku. It was a bit surprising actually. Though he didn't know Sakura very well, he had always had the impression that she was quite, conservative, and shy. Not this vibrant, bright, and fiery person she turned out to be on the inside.

For her inner personality there were no boundaries. If she didn't like something, she didn't like it. End of story. No questions asked. She was stubborn and not easily swayed to one side or the other. She liked being in control of her life and despised anyone who tried to take that control away. Kind of like him…

_**Earth to Gaara. Come in Gaara. This is the little vice inside your head telling you to take the day off already. **_

_I've got too much work to do. _

_**But you don't WANT to do it. I know you don't. You're like Sakura in that way. You need your space to be free and do what YOU want to do. **_

_My country comes first. _He said. Inner Sakura fell silent. Gaara smirked to himself. He knew her weakness. The one thing Sakura always put before herself: her friends and her country. Like him.

Gaara sighed, picking up the first paper in the stack Fukigen had given him.

_Let's see here… Look's like my father made more cuts to the medical fund's budgets than I thought. The hospital's so old it's in shambles. Understaffed. Under funded. Not enough medical ninja's on staff. But I can't give them any more. I'm already down to one medical ninja to every twenty shinobi on the field. Look's like they've drawn up a plan for training more here… uh, but I our existing medical ninja couldn't pull this off! They're not that good. _

_**They can't Handel that? You've got to be kidding me. **_Inner Sakura scolded. _**I could pull that off so easily it's not even funny.**_

_Really? _

_**Yeah. That's like, first year medical ninja training. Not only do you not have enough medical ninja, but the ones you have are incompetent. **_

Well of course Gaara knew that! But it wasn't like it was his decision. It was his father that had down-sized the program so that they could have more shinobi fighting on the battle field.

_**Yes, it may be your father's fault that you're where you are right now. But it will be your fault if you don't do anything to fix it. **_Inner Sakura told him.

_What do you suggest?_

_**Let's see… first you've got to give them back there funding then bring in some highly skilled medical ninja from another land. Have them train the ones you have here, the hospitals staff, and go into the ninja academy, starting to train one fourth of the students to require medical ninja skills. **_

_And who do you suggest I bring in? _He asked.

_**Well not to brag, but I'm probably the best medical ninja in all of Kohana, and that is your biggest ally… **_

_So you want the job? _

_**I don't know. If Lady Tsunade told me that was my mission I'd do it. No questions asked. The Leaf village also has many other confident medical ninja who could fulfill the job though. Shizune's a good one, if you could convince the Hokage to let you borrow her for a few… years. **_

_Years? _

_**Well… you're years behind. You'll need at least two or three years to catch up, train, and re-train the ninja. **_

_Hmm… That is something to think about. It's a brilliant idea actually. We could easily get the money. I'm sure the council members wouldn't mind taking a pay-cut. (Evil smiley face.) And the weapons arsenal could use down-sizing. Yeah. I think we could come up with the money. And if Kohana agrees… _

Gaara instantly started scribbling things down on pieces of paper, outlining the plans for reforming Suna's medical program with the help if Inner Sakura. They worked through the night, drawing up the plans.

***RandomnessRules***

_**I'm so stoked. **_

_Stoked? _

_**Yeah! ^_^ I mean we finished the plans and Sakura's leaving Kohana today. **_Inner Sakura smiled. Gaara glanced to the clock on the wall. 6:00 AM. Yes. According to the schedule he had received from the Hokage, Sakura, along with the rest of the traveling party, had left two hours ago. They'd travel the whole day, camp out that night, and reach the city around ten o'clock the next day. Soon, very soon he'd have Shukaku back and be rid of Inner Sakura forever.

_**I'm going to miss you. (Sad face.) **_

…………

_**Are you hearing me?!?!?!?! **_

_Sorry. I'm more caught up in what will happen afterward. _

_**What do you mean? **_

_Think about it. I've gotten to know you well over the last two weeks, which means I know Sakura VERY well now. And she knows me well too. Don't you think it's going to be awkward, knowing each other that well? _

_**Yeah, so what? **_

_Nothing… _

At that moment Gaara sensed Fukigen's chakra approaching his office. The man opened the door then, coming in out of the hall.

"I never thought I'd be so glad to see you here this early." Gaara said, getting up and quickly bringing a stack of paper three feet high over to the old man, dropping it into his hands. Fukigen struggled under the weight.

"What is this Lord Kazekage?"

"That is the new plan for reforming Suna's medical system. I pulled from what the hospital said and… other sources and came up with this. Get it to the other council members and review it as quickly as possible." Gaara commanded.

"Yes My Lord." Fukigen said, heading back towards the door. "Oh! I almost forgot," he said before he left. He pulled out another huge stack of paper at least four feet tall out of nowhere, placing it in Gaara's arms. "Please have these signed and completed by the end of the week." The man then left the room.

Gaara's eye twitched. He had just finished that WHOLE report and made up that plan and now he had MORE work to do?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

_**I get the country comes first crap, but in this case I believe you should make an exception.**_

_You got it. _

Gaara deserted his office, leaving the giant stack of papers on the floor with no intention of ever touching them again, let along looking at them.

Moments later Fukigen re-entered the Kazekage's office. "Lord Kazekage I forgot to tell you…" he trailed away when he saw Gaara was not there. "LADY TEMARI!" the council man screamed.

"What?!" she screamed back, appearing almost out of no where, walking in from her office down the hall.

Fukigen was fuming. "You brother has decided to play hooky! And on today of all days! We have a council meeting about the wedding!"

"So?" Temari asked in a bored tone.

"SO GO FIND HIM!" Fukigen hollered like an overly-hormonal teenage girl.

"Don't look at me. If Gaara doesn't plan on working today, then you're not going to see him until he decides to work again. You're not going to find him unless he lets you, and considering he was here ALL NIGHT he's not going to want to be found." She left without another glance in Fukigen's direction.

Fukigen pulled out some of his already thinning hair. It was just his luck that he had to look after a Kazekage who was less cooperative than an over-tired two-year old.

Gaara avoid Fukigen and the rest of the council members for the whole day, going out and training on one of the fields, patrolling the city, and just sitting at the top of the tallest building, looking out over Suna. Most people would think his day was uneventful and boring but to Gaara in was paradise. Anything but holding a pen and signing more paper work.

_**Hey, why don't we go watch a movie later tonight? **_

_What do you have in mind? _Gaara asked, completely up for that plan.

_**Have you seen Underworld Evolution? **_

_No. I've seen Underworld, but I never got around to watching the next one… _

_**Then let's watch that! Please!**_

_Alright. You know, it's kind of scary that we have the same taste in movies. _Gaara mused, laying down on the roof of the building he was on, looking up to the darkening sky.

_**What's scary about it? **_

_Just never thought you'd like stuff like Underworld, and what was it we watched the other night? The Grudge? Yeah, that's what we watched… _

_**I also like comedies you know.**_

_Really? Which ones? _

_**Have you ever seen Grumpy old men? **_

_You've got to be kidding me! That movie rocks! It's so random… _

_**You're right. It is scary how we like the same movies. **_

The sun disappeared from the sky then, plunging the desert into darkness, the red and gold that once painted it fading away until it was time for the sun to set once again. They laid there in silence for a long time, gazing to the sky, watching as the stars started to make their appearance.

The moon rose, full and bright, illuminating the desert, glistening off the sand. Sitting up and looking out over the city to the wasteland beyond, Gaara turned his sights in the direction of Kohana. Soon Sakura would be there, and he'd finally get Shukaku back. Soon everything would be back to normal. He felt a strange pain where his heart rested at the thought of the impeding reality, but he couldn't identify it. It was probably the bright moonlight getting to him.

***RandomnessRules***

Sakura set up her sleeping bad at the edge of the camp, looking out at the desert dunes, bathed in moonlight. She was so exhausted. So fare their journey to Suna had been uneventful and tiring. A lot of walking and a lot of talking. Her, Naruto, and Hinata had all made fast-friends with Shinsetsu, and had even started to get to know Okubyou a little, despite his shyness holding him back. None of them had even bothered to talk to the oldest son. His arrogance was enough to keep everyone away.

But of course the whole time she was talking with Shinsetsu Shukaku was growling inside her mind. He still refused to admit he was… what was he? Jealous as Sakura had suggested? Shukaku dismissed this possibility, deciding instead that over the last few weeks he had become friends with her and was being protective like a friend would be. Not jealous. No, never jealous.

The one downfall of the journey for Sakura so fare was that for some reason Ino wasn't being herself. She hadn't talked at all the whole way and was increasingly withdrawn from everyone. Sakura dismissed it, using the excuse Ino was wrapped up in her thoughts about finally formally meeting her fiancé. Nervousness, she decided.

Speaking of being nervous, Sakura was so jumpy it was unbearable. To think, after two weeks she was finally going to come face to face with Gaara again, the person's whose inner thoughts she had had inside of herself. How would their meeting go? She had somehow become friends with Shukaku, so would that mean she was now friends with Gaara? Would it be awkward being aware of how well they now intimately knew one another, always aware of what the other was thinking in any given situation? Sakura wouldn't know until the next day, when they finally met again, face to face.

_**Hello beautiful people of Du-Lock!! ^_^ I love you all!! Crimson's searching my room for the razor blade right now so you'll see her again during the next chapter! ^_^ Bye! May the force be with you! (Does Spock hand thing.)**_

**NOTE: What's up with you guys?!! You usually review more! :( It's making us sad. If you don't like the story, review to tell us. If you love the story review to tell us. Either way, PLEASE review!! This story is the LONGEST one we've ever written! The first 2 ch. are longer that the whole Sleep Over of Doom story and we don't want to put all this work into it if you guys don't review. **

**Signed, 2crasy random people**


	5. Chapter 5

Key: Read or you won't get anything!!

Naruto rules = Crimson

_**Naruto rules = Tristen1497**_

**Naruto rules = both of us!!!**

_**Marco!!!! ……………………. Marco!!!! ………………. Pist! This is the part where you say Polo. Marco!!!!!**_

Hey Tristen?

_**Yeah? **_

I think I did something wrong… (Holds up arm which is gushing blood, holding Tristen's razor blade in the other hand.)

_**You idiot!!!! You cut it the wrong way!!! **_

What do you mean?

_**I TOLD you! Imagine your arm is a highway! You cut across the highway if you want to be injured and you walk down the middle of the highway when you wan to die!!!**_

Oh… I forgot….

_**No der! That's why you're gushing blood!!!! You cut from your elbow down to your wrist, right?**_

Yes.

_**Uggg… Come on. I'll go get the towel and the needle and thread. Let's stitch you up… **_

**WARNING!!!!!! Had no time for editing. Deal with it. **

**Electrocution is actually not that bad**

Key.

Shuukaku – **This print**

Inner Sakura – _**This print**_

**Hey Sakura? **

_**Yeah? **_Inner Sakura questioned, catching Shukaku's unusual tone of voice.

**Do… Do you think we'll still be able to talk to each other when our vessels are asleep, you know? After we switch back? **

_**Probably not. I mean, even if we're still connected after we're back to normal Gaara won't be able to sleep with you back in his mind. Remember, with your mind and powers once again in the same vessel you'll come out and destroy everything.**_

**Well, yeah. But I mean… I could not do that. I could let Gaara sleep so we could talk. **

_**Wait. Let me get this straight. You'd give up on a chance to wreak havoc on humanity just so you could talk to me? **_

………………

_**Shukaku?**_

**Sakura… the truth is you're the first friend I've ever and I really like you. You get me and I get you and it's just really cool to hang around you.**

_Really Shukaku? I had no idea you felt like that? (Sarcastic voice.)_

**Sakura?!?!?!?!?!?!??!?! What are you doing here???!!!! **

_It's my head remember? But what's with you? I wake up and the first thing I here is you saying you –and I quote– "Really like me."_

**I never said that!! **

_Uh… yes you did. _

**Okay, maybe, but I didn't mean it like that! I like you like a friend. **

_Sure… _

**No really!!!!! **

_Calm down Shukaku. I know you're joking. Geesh. _Sakura rolled her eyes before sitting up off the ground and rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

A fine mist lingered in the gray, morning light coating the desert dunes. Light smoke rose from the fire pits, the flames long gone. Sakura unzipped her sleeping bag, standing up to stretch her stiff muscles. Looking out over the flat stretch of sand, she saw all the lumps of fabric, more sleeping people, the carts filled with goods, and the horses. The only other person she saw that was up and functioning was Gouman, dressed in a black outfit, carrying a kunai in his hand. Obviously he was just getting off guard duty.

Sakura sighed. _Might as well try and make friends. _

**I'd rather not. **

_No one asked you. _Sakura threw back at the demon, walking towards Gouman.

"Hey." She said, smiling.

He looked at her like she was crazy. "Hey," he replied in a voice that suggested he wanted nothing what so ever to do with her.

"Umm… I was going to make breakfast for everyone so… what would you like?" Sakura asked, feeling more awkward by the second.

"We don't have time to sit down and cook. Everything seems calm now, but that could change in one instant. Don't forget this is an S level mission. We can't afford to let our guard down. A _real_ shinobi would put the mission before her stomach." Gouman sneered, walking past her, purposely knocking her shoulder against his. Sakura's hand flew to the impact point. Who ever knew such a small touch could hurt so much. She rubbed it out, refusing to acknowledge the pain.

What was he talking about? She _was_ a real shinobi! Just because she wanted to do something nice for him and the rest of the caravan it didn't mean she was neglecting the mission. Ino was asleep, snoring away in her sleeping bag. Naruto and Hinata were doing the same thing and if there was danger coming she would since it. She pushed Gouman's harsh words to the back of her mind, trying to hold back her irrational tears.

**Sakura, don't cry. Please. It's as annoying as hell. **

Shukaku's inconsiderate words called on another wave of tears.

**Oh crap! I'm sorry! Just stop it please! You can't let the others see you like this. Suck it up. **Shukaku commanded, his voice more soft, yet still as serious and authoritative.

Sakura bit her lip, drawing blood. But it helped her get control over her emotions for some reason. She sniffled once more and wiped away the remnants of her tears.

**Sakura, listen to me, and don't you DARE start crying again. Got it? **

Sakura nodded as she kneeled down to roll up her sleeping bag.

**Promise? **

_Yeah. I won't cry. I promise. _She whispered back.

**You need to start sticking up for yourself. Show some of that spine of yours. And don't even try to tell me you can't because I KNOW you can. You can do it when you talk to me. You can do it in your head. Now you need to learn how to assert yourself and show your feelings on the outside. **

_But-_

**No buts! If you don't start sticking up for yourself now, you'll regret it later. People will keep pushing you around and taking advantage of you and then you'll never be happy in life. If you want something you've GOT to tell everyone. They're not mind-readers Sakura. You're the only one who can tell them how you feel. **

_Shukaku-_

**You know I'm right so don't even- **

_No. I mean… you are right. _

**I am? **

To her surprise Sakura found a small laugh escaped her lips as a smile painted them.

_Yes. You're right Shukaku. I need to learn to show my feelings more often._

**Correction. ALL the time. **

_Fine. All the time. It's just… I've always been afraid of what others will say. I mean, what will they think of me when I suddenly speak my mind all the time? They'll think I'm a totally different person. _

**At first, yes. But then they'll realize they're getting to know the real you. And then they'll learn to live with it. You're a very likeable person Sakura, and I'm talking about the real you. Not the mask you wear. **

_Thanks Shukaku. _

**You're welcome. ^_^ **

_I'll start making an effort to assert myself from now on. It might take me a while to let all of my true self out, but I'll get there. _

**That's my girl. ^_^ **

_YOUR girl? _Sakura teased.

**… What? My girl? What are you talking about? I never said that. Me? Never! Man, I mean, I think you should get a cat scan or something. Hearing more than two voices in your head? That's got to be bad for you. **

_Whatever Shukaku… _Sakura rolled her eyes again, throwing her bag over her shoulders and glancing around the camp sight. Everyone else was getting up. Hinata had just woken as was working on the very difficult task of waking Naruto up. Ino was starting to stir and the rest of the men were already up, packing up their luggage and getting everything ready to finish their journey.

Just as they set off, leaving the campsite behind them, the sun rose over the dunes. It sliced through the fog like a knife, making it dissipate instantly, giving way to a golden landscape that stretched on forever. Even when she squinted towards the west she couldn't see the great stone walls marking Suna. It was hard to believe that after just a few short hours of walking she would be before those great stone walls and everything that lay beyond them.

***RandomnessRules***

Gaara opened his eyes, his sleep disturbed by the warmth that hit his face. He sat up, blinded by the sun as it rose higher into the sky. It had finally peaked over the top of the wall that marked the cities entrance. Un-obscured by the wall it bathed the whole city in shinning white light, coming to soak Gaara's face in heat.

He rubbed his eyes, trying to gather his scattered thoughts. He remembered watching the sky turn black and observing the stares come out. That was the last thing he remembered. He had just closed his eyes for a moment and the next thing he knew he was blinded with the sun instead of the moon that had last bid his eyes goodbye.

_**It's a about TIME you got up! **_Inner Sakura scolded.

"Uggg…" Gaara groaned. He'd been up for a grand total of five seconds and she was already giving him a headache.

_**You're SO mean! You promised we were going to watch The Grudge!! Then you fell asleep on me! **_

_I'm sorry, _Gaara said groggily. _I didn't mean to. Guess being deprived of sleep for eighteen years took more out of me than I thought. We'll watch it tonight, alright? _

_**Aren't you forgetting something genius? **_

_What?_

_**God, I swear you're SO dumb… Today's the day Sakura and the others arrive. **_

_What?!?!?! _Gaara jumped to his feet so quickly he lost his balance and went tumbling down to the surface of the roof with a loud thud.

_**Yeah, and judging the fact that it's what? April? And the height of the sun she's probably going to be here any minute because the sun breaks over the top of the wall around ten-**_

Inner Sakura was cut off as Gaara jumped to his feet again, propelling himself off the roof to land on the next one.

_**Slow down! Motion sickness!!!!! **_She complained as they continued sprinting towards the great wall dividing civilization front the barren wasteland beyond it. Gaara landed right at the wall's rim fifty feet above the ground, looking out to the desert. He squinted, using one hand to shield his eyes from the bright sun, now staring him down. Then he saw it, a caravan hidden in the gleaming light. And then there was the speck of pink he spotted, right at the head of the caravan.

***RandomnessRules***

"We'll miss you Sakura. It was really fun having you with the caravan" Shinsetsu smiled at her.

"Ye- Yes Miss. Haruno. It was a pleasure having you." Okubyou whispered, still stuttering, his cheeks beat red.

"You should come back and visit us soon!" Shinsetsu suggested, his already big smile widening dramatically.

**Yes. We know how many teeth you have. You can stop trying to force them out of you mouth. **Shukaku muttered. Sakura had to bite back a giggle.

"Ha," Gouman laughed sarcastically. "Like she'd ever be any kind of help in a caravan. She can't even pull off being a shinobi."

Sakura stopped dead in her tracks, her head hung down, her bangs in her face shading out her eyes.

"Shut up!!" Naruto hollered at him. "You can't talk to Sakura like that!!!"

"Naruto's right!!!" Ino snapped.

"Those who don't earn respect do not deserve it." Gouman said coldly, crossing his arms over his chest.

"That's it!! Let me at him!!!" Naruto moved to lunge towards him but Sakura spoke, halting his action.

"It's alright Naruto." She whispered. Everyone turned to her, their eyes glued to her as she continued to look to the ground. Gounman smirked, not catching the movement her hands made, balling up into tight fists.

"In order to receive respect you must earn it. But there is one point you forgot Gounman. In some cases even if the person has not earned the respect of another, it is demanded." Sakura started to walk towards him as he stood there, anchored in place. "This happens in cases such as respecting you elders or someone of a higher rank than you." She stopped right in front of him, the skin over the top of her knuckles turning white as her fists clenched tighter.

Then she looked up, her piercing gaze able to strike fear into anyone's heart. "_Then _there are the times when you _must_ respect someone because they are your boss. Because _they_ are the ones in charge, _they _are the ones who pay you, and _they_ are the ones to whom you answer to."

Gounman could do nothing but blink back at her, in complete and total shock.

"I am your _boss._ I hired _you_. Not the other way around. You answer to _me,_ and as your boss I demand your respect. You don't have to like me but you have to respect me. And if you don't, you will pay the consequences. Have I made myself perfectly clear?" Sakura asked, glaring Gounman down though he was a good head and a half taller than her.

At first he was stuck in a state of shock and once he got over it he looked dazed. Then Gounman gave her a look, a look that clearly screamed 'What could _you_ possibly do to me if I don't obey?'

Sakura smiled at him, a sinister smile with a hidden glint of evil. "Let's hope so, or else I might just have to fire you." She placed her hand on his shoulder, flexing her fingers as if to give him the most gentle of gestures. Gounman gasped, his shoulder searing with pain. In that one small touch she had almost broken his bones. Sakura leaned forward onto her tippy-toes and whispered in his ear "Or worse, I might have to break you."

Gounman swallowed hard as Sakura removed her hand, stepping away and smiling sweetly at him. Then she turned to walk away, advancing with the rest of the caravan towards their destination.

_How was that? _Sakura smirked at the demon in her head.

**Damn. **

_What? Surprised that I could actually stand up for myself?_

**No. Freaked out by the fact you being assertive is hot. **

_What?! _

**I said nothing. **

_No. You said I'm hot. _

**There you go again, hearing more than two voices in your head. **

_You know what? I'm just going to forget this conversation ever happened. _

**Agreed. **

_Hey Shukaku? _

**Yeah? **

_Do… do you really think I'm hot?_

**I thought we were dropping the subject. **

_I lied, now answer the question. _

**Er… well, when I think about it any woman being feisty is damn sexy, not just you. **

_Oh… so I'm nothing special?_

**Nope. ^_^ **

_Oh- Okay then… (Sad face.) _

**(I got away with it face.) **

Sakura looked up from watching her feet progress over the sand only to realize how close they actually were to Suna. The great walls were rising up on either side of them, reflecting the suns light to make them appear white. She could already begin to make out the number of figures standing by the city's gates to greet them. And once, when she was awing at the walls Sakura could have sworn she saw a flash of red perched upon the edge of the fifty foot high cliff. They had finally arrived.

***RandomnessRules***

Fukigen mumbled frantically to himself as he raced towards the gates of Suna. The patrol guards had spotted the caravan a half hour ago which meant they would be arriving any minute now. He bit his lip, nervous and worried. He had yet to locate the Kazekage even with every available shinobi scouring the city and the desert surrounding it. What would the Hokage's representatives and the bride-to-be think of them? They surly wouldn't go through with the wedding if Suna couldn't manage to keep their own Kazekage under control. He was SO fired.

"You're late." Samui, another council member with a bald head and accusing eyes lectured to him. The rest of the council was behind him, already haven arrived.

"Forgive me." Fukigen huffed. "I was still trying to locate the Kazekage."

The other council members stared at him blankly for a moment before bursting out in laughter.

"What's so funny?" he asked growing red in the face.

Samui pointed upward towards the top of the wall on the left side. Fukigen blinked, shocked and surprised to see none other than Gaara crouching at the top of the cliff.

"He got here almost ten minutes ago." Samui smirked. "Guess you were the only one left out of the loop."

Fukigen's face turned redder and his hands balled up in anger.

_**He looks like he's going to explode. **_Inner Sakura giggled in Gaara's head.

_Not now. _Gaara barked back, his eyes intently focused on the speck of pink drawing ever nearer. He could make out her clothes now, the same ones he had seen her in two and a half weeks ago in Tsunade's office. Her hair was tide back, a few loose strands hanging in her flushed, tired face. Once he saw her eyes look in his direction, but with the glare from the sun she was forced to turn her gaze back towards the ground.

She was so close he could almost feel her.

"Kazekage-sama!"

Gaara turned his head to look down upon the gathering of Suna council members. One quick sweep of the small crowd told him two things. One: Temari, his head of state and second in command, and Kankuro, the chief commander of his shinobi forces were not yet there. And Two: Fukigen was looked very angry, and was about to start yelling at him.

"Where have you been?!" the old man continued once he had the Kazekage's attention. "We've been looking all over for you! And just look at you! You're supposed to be in your robes! And you're covered in dirt! Get down here this minute!"

"You're _not_ my mother." Gaara hissed at him.

"Don't worry Fukigen! They cavalry's a'comin!" (Insert old western hoarse chase music)

Everyone turned to see Kankuro and Temari approaching the gate.

"Sorry we're late." Temari apologized. "SOMEONE had to finish organizing his sock collection." She glared at Kankuro.

"You have a SOCK collection?" Fukigen asked, a little weird-ed out.

"Don't judge me!" Kankuro whined.

"Gaara?" Temari asked sweetly. "Would you please come down from there? For your sister?" she batted her eyelashes. But Gaara could read what was hidden in her eyes. 'Come down NOW or I'll replace your shampoo with bright green hair dye! And it will smell like flowers!'

He glared at her, but never the less jumped down from the ledge, almost giving Fukigen a heart-attack. It was, after all, a fifty foot drop.

"You don't have to be so hard on him Fukigen. His clothes are fine." She said, able to see what Gaara was wearing now that he stood beside her instead of being perched fifty feet off the ground. He was wearing clothes similar to the ones he wore to the chunin exams way back when he was thirteen except the sash was now blood red.

"But you know," she went on "He's right Gaara. You _do _have dirt on your face." Before he could dodge her she licked her finger, using it to wipe off the smudge. Gaara backed away from her with a disgusted look on his face, wiping off her spit from his cheek.

"I can take care of myself Temari!" he barked.

"Oo, looks like someone's a little antsy." Kankuro teased. "Nervous about you future wife arriving?"

"Shut it." Gaara growled at him.

"Come on Little Bro. Give us a hint! Who is it? Is she pretty? Blond? Easy?" Gaara's fist collided with Kankuro's skull.

"Hey!!" The puppet master moaned.

"My hand slipped." Gaara replied in a monotone.

"Wait. You haven't told them who you're marrying?" Fukigen question.

Gaara shrugged. "I figured they were going to give me enough crap about actually getting married might as well not add to it by telling them who it is. Besides, they're going to figure it out today whether I want them to or not."

Temari and Kankuro got an excited look in their eyes. "Is it really that bad?" his sister asked. Gaara nodded and a huge smile broke out across her face.

"Wow. It must be really horrible. What? Is she ugly or something?" Kankuro asked.

"Kankuro! Shut up and act presentable! They're here." Fukigen said, standing up strait and proud, putting on his political face. "And Kazekage-sama, PLEASE be on your best behavior."

Gaara didn't here him; he was too busy focusing on the front of the caravan, one hundred yards away from where he now stood. She stood close to the front with the other diplomats, Naruto and his girlfriend Hinata. No surprise there.

Sakura laughed lightly at Naruto's joke, moving her hand to come her hair behind her ear. But when she looked up her smile faded away, replaced with a little O of shock accompanied by wide eyes.

There he was, looking strait at her, his eyes boring down into hers. Suddenly, all of her anxiousness to see him that had build up over the past two and a half weeks dissipated, replaced by an urge to run as far away from him as possible.

He didn't look angry. In fact, she couldn't identify what the look on his face meant, but for some reason she was convinced he was going to kill her or something. He'd be angry. He'd be more than angry; he'd be livid. REALLY livid. Why wouldn't he be? She'd stuck him with her inner-self for over half a month. That, and she had gained insight as to what went on inside the confines of his mind. He was going to hate her, and then kill her. Or worse.

His eyes didn't leave her as she walked towards the gate and to Sakura's amazement, though she was scared stiff, it took her almost a full minute to dislodge her gaze from meeting his. She couldn't figure out why, but once she looked at something other than him she took to watching her feet move over the sand.

They stopped just ten feet from the Suna greeting part.

"Greetings from the great city of Suna. We welcome you to our home." Fukigen started. "We trust your journey went well."

Sakura stepped aside, allowing Shikamaru to come forward. He had agreed to come with them to be the speaker for the village. He was much better at being formal than Sakura was. He'd been surprisingly quite thought the journey so far, so much so that Sakura had forgotten all about him.

"It did. Thank you for asking. On behalf of all the delicates I'd like to first of all say, that it is an honor to be invited under such prestigious conditions, and give lady Tsunade's greeting of kindness and trust to the Kazekage." Shikamaru turned his head from Fukigen to Gaara.

"The Hokage wishes you well and on behalf of her I have been instructed to present you with this." Shikamaru pulled out a fancy piece of paper with the Hokage's seal. "The Hokage has granted Suna a most favored nations clause to insure our bond and friendship."

"On behalf of the people of Suna I graciously accept her offer of a most favored nations clause and wish her and her people well." Gaara said, not taking his eyes off of Sakura. She continued to look to the ground, embarrassed.

Fukigen cut in and continued. "Suna has provided lodgings for all those who are staying to help with the wedding ceremony as well as some for the caravan."

Yazumi stepped forward, standing next to Shikamaru. "I am Yazumi Kanji, leader of this caravan. I thank you for your concern for our well being and generosity. We would love to stay the night in Suna, but due to our schedule we must leave in the morning to return to Kohana. We hope that you will not fined offence."

"Of course not." Fukigen smiled. "We shall provide you with help unloading all of the goods you have brought and reloading your carts with goods from our city."

"My caravan and I thank you most graciously. You are very considerate." Yazumi said politely.

Fukigen stepped aside for Samui to come forward. "I am Samui Mamoto, Suna council member. Please follow me and I shall lead you to the unloading docks." He said to Yazumi.

The caravan shifted to one side, walking through the gate after Samui, leaving the delicates in front of the rest of the Suna council members.

Fukigen spoke then. "I'm sure all of you know Kankuro and Temari." He motioned to them as he said they're names. "From what I understand you all met five years ago at the chunin exams in Kohana."

"Yeah! We're great friends!" Naruto said brightly, smiling at Tamari and Kankuro.

"Of course we know each other!" Kankuro said obnoxiously. "So we can cut the formal crap. Hey Naruto! You own me twenty bucks from that poker game!"

A sweat droplet formed on the side of Fukigen's face. "They will show you all to your apartments and give you a tour of the city." He said.

"Hey wait!" Kankuro barked again. "First of all, who's marrying Gaara? He didn't tell us." He looked to Gaara at this point, catching the fact he just looked to the ground. Then Kankuro scanned the crowd of delicates.

"I know!" he said with a big smile. "It's Sakura! Right?!"

"No!" both Gaara and Sakura shouted at the same time. They caught each other's eyes and looked down to the ground again, too embarrassed to look at one another.

"Then who?" Kankuro whined. He didn't like being left out of the loop.

Just then Ino stepped out from behind Naruto and Hinata. Even after traveling for two days she still looked gorgeous. Her long blond hair was flowing freely down her back, held in place with a pony tail and her long purple skirt and short sleeved purple shirt looked perfect, not a speck of dust on them. She was in every since of the word beautiful.

She walked forward, stopping five feet away from Gaara. "It is a pleasure to formally meet you Lord Kazekage." She curtsied before him.

Gaara was screaming on the inside. Fukigen had coached him on what he was to do now, but to actually do it? And in front of his council, siblings, and friends from Kohana? They might as well kill him. But he didn't let anything show through. On the outside he was a cool as a cucumber though he was most definitely dying on the inside.

"The pleasure is all mine, Miss. Yamanaka." He said in his most polite voice, graciously giving her a small bow, at the same time taking her hand and kissing it lightly. (TWITCHY EYE!!!!!!)

Everyone's jaw dropped, but none went as fare as Temari's and Kankuro's. Theirs hit the floor.

"_**INO?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**_" Kankuro almost shrieked. "You're marrying INO?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!!!!!"

Everyone looked to Temari and Kankuro, both looking shocked and flabbergasted, Kankuro more so than Temari. Ino looked to both of them, giving them each small, embarrassed, almost sad smiles. Kankuro looked like he was going to go into anaphylactic shock or something along those lines.

"Didn't see that one coming." Temari mumbled, still a little dazed.

"Miss Yamanaka," Fukigen smiled. "Being the Kazekage's fiancé it is my honor that I have the pleasure of showing you the city myself." He bowed to her. Ino's eye twitched.

"Lord Kazekage." The council member said. "You are welcome to join us or if you have work-"

"I do." Gaara answered flatly.

Fukigen nodded. "Alright, but don't forget, tonight you and your bride-to-be will be having a traditional tea ceremony followed by dinner together."

Gaara frowned. "I was not aware of this."

"Yes, well if you had been in your office yesterday you would have known about it. Six o'clock sharp at the Hanami restaurant." Fukigen smiled. "Now, if you would follow me Miss. Yamanaka." He offered her his arm and led her away from the front gate, pointing out everything as he led her down Suna's main street.

"Well I guess we've got to give you a tour." Temari smiled to Shikamaru, Naruto, Hinata, and Sakura. "Come on," she motioned for them to follow her. Her and Kankuro started to lead them into the city.

Sakura looked out of the corner of her eye to try to catch Gaara's gaze, but to her astonishment he wasn't there. What? Wasn't he mad at her? Or concerned that she had his inner demon in her head? Was he even going to say anything about it? Was she going to be stuck with a perverted demon in her head for the rest of her life?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

First, Temari and Kankuro showed them to a quaint little apartment structure made entirely out of sand like most everything was and they were each given a room to themselves and some time to freshen up.

Sakura's was one of the largest because of her statues as wedding planner. To the left was a little nook serving as the kitchen with a Minnie fridge, cupboards, a microwave, and a little stove only half the size of a normal stove. The table was tall, the top of it coming up to her chest, but the chairs were just as tall, allowing her easy access to the table top.

The living room area had a curved sofa separating the kitchen from it, a TV, stereo, coffee table, computer desk, and a few lamps. Up ageist the back wall directly in the middle of the kitchen/living room divide was a small hall leading to a large, plain bedroom with a bed and dresser. It also had a door to the big bathroom complete with duel tub and shower and more shampoo's than Sakura could count. She quickly started a bath, closing her eyes to strip and submerge herself beneath the bubbles.

_Hey Shukaku? _

**Yeah? **

_Are you sure Gaara knows your in my mind? He… he looked at me a lot but he didn't say anything. _

**Oh, he knows. Trust me, but he doesn't want to confront you in front of everyone else. Don't worry. Sakura, he'll get you alone eventually and work it out with you. **

_Get me alone?! That's exactly what I wanted to avoid. He's going to be SO mad at me. _

**Why would you say that? **

_Umm, let's see here. Maybe because I've had access to his inner-most thoughts for almost three weeks?!?!?!!!!!!! _

**I don't think he'll be that upset. After all, he's expecting you to be just as mad. I mean, he's known what you're thinking for three weeks as well. **

_I hope you're right…_

Sakura got out of the shower and dressed in her usual pink and red outfit, deciding to leave her hair down. Even though it was only April the sun beat down harder than ever. It had already burnt the back of her neck.

After she was ready Sakura walked out the door, and down the stair leading to the street below where most everyone else was waiting for her.

"Hey Sakura." Temari greeted. "How have you been?"

"Good; busy I guess." She answered.

"Busy?" asked Tamari.

"Yeah. Didn't Gaara tell you? I'm the wedding planner."

"You are?!?!?!" her friend squealed. "That's amazing! You HAVE to let me help you out latter."

"You've got it Temari. Oh, and you're going to be the maid on honor."

"WHAT??!!!!! And no one TOLD ME?!!!"

Sakura frowned. "I thought Gaara was going to tell all of you guys this stuff."

"Ha! Yeah right. He told us he was getting married. End of conversation. That's all we got out of him. We didn't even know he was marrying Ino until this morning.

"Really?"

"Really! From what me and Kankuro could guess, we though he was getting married to you."

Sakura laughed. "Yeah right."

"I know. Crazy right? But not as crazy as Ino. Talk about a crack pairing."

"I totally agree with you." Sakura smiled before they both started laughing.

"Uh…" Shikamaru sighed. "Don't you guys ever shut up?"

"You shut up!" Temari barked back.

"Troublesome woman…" he muttered. Temari rolled her eyes and turned away from the lazy genius.

"He's not even worth it." She mumbled, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Hey!" Naruto said, coming down the stairs front his apartment's balcony that led to the ground. "Hope I didn't keep you guys waiting."

"Not at all." Temari smiled.

"Hey? Where's Kankuro?" Naruto asked, just now realizing he wasn't there.

"He had to go home. He wasn't feeling well." she explained. "I think all the shock this morning finally got to him."

"Oh, so we're going then?" the hyper yellow-haired boy asked.

"Yes. First we'll tour downtown and stop somewhere to eat."

"RAMEN!!!"

"Naruto," Hinata scolder, grabbing his arm and giving him a look that told him he should calm down before he hurt himself.

Temari smiled "Ramen it is."

Sakura kept quite as Temari showed them downtown, pointing out where everything was and giving them tips.

"And there's where the wedding's going to be." She pointed to a huge, rectangular square building. "I'll show you it in more detail Sakura, later. And that's the restaurant we're going to tonight."

Sakura drowned out her voice. She was still worried. What was going to happen now? Shukaku had said Gaara wouldn't be too mad, but still she didn't know what too mad meant in his book. He could be furious for all she knew.

**Sakura? **

_I know Shukaku! I know! Stop worrying about it and just take a deep breath and relax._

**No. I wasn't going to say that. **

_Then what is it you wanted to say?_

**You see that alley up there? In between that restaurant and the spa? **

_Yeah… _She replied in a worried kind of tone.

**The restaurant is where Temari is going to take you for lunch. **

"Okay guys. This is it! The finest ramen in all of Suna." Temari said happily, going to the man at the podium outside the restaurant's front doors to get a table.

**Excuse yourself to go to the bathroom and then go into that alley. Gaara will be waiting for you. **

_How do you know? _

**Are you serious? Hello girl! I'm part of his brain!! I know what he's going to do! **

_Oh, _

"Come on guys!" Temari ushered them into the restaurant, leading them towards a booth way at the back. Sakura spotted the bathrooms at the front of the restaurant. She'd be able to trick her friends and leave. As soon as everyone was seated she made the announcement.

"I'll be right back guys. I've got to go to the bathroom." She said, heading towards the front of the restaurant again.

"I'll come with you." Hinata said happily.

_Crap. _

As soon as they were out of ear shot Sakura turned to Hinata. "Listen," she said "I've got to go meet Gaara and fix this." Sakura pointed to her head, to make sure Hinata still remembered.

"Alright. I'll just tell the others that you went back to the apartment." She smiled.

Sakura gave her friend a hug. "Thank you Hinata."

"No problem Sakura. I suspected you'd go off looking for him. Why do you think I offered to come with you?" she smirked.

"You're a genius Hinata." Sakura gave her another hug before slipping out the front door as quickly as possible before anyone saw. She walked into the alley, making sure no one noticed her leaving the main street.

Looking back at the crowded street while still backing up into the alley, however, probably wasn't such a good idea. Sakura froze when her back bumped against something hard. She wheeled around so fast it made her dizzy, staring up in wide-eyed horror at Sabaku no Gaara.

She didn't know what to say, or how to act at all. All she did was gaze up at him, her mouth opened in a little O of shock.

"Stop gaping at me Haruno and tell me why the hell you've got my demon in your head!" he barked at her.

**Remember how I said he wasn't going to be too mad? **Shukaku said.

_Yes. _

**I lied. **

"I- I..." she sighed. "Didn't my inner self tell you?" she asked meekly.

His eyes flared up. "And that's another thing! How the hell did she get stuck in my head?! And why on earth didn't you get your ass over here when you realized our inners switched?!! Why did you make me wait almost THREE WEEKS! Do you have any idea how long that is when you have a girl in your head? Or do you enjoy torturing me?!"

Sakura's eyes hardened. She was SO not going to take this.

_**You jerk!!! **_Inner Sakura fumed in Gaara's head.

"You jerk!" Sakura yelled at him. "Do you think you're the only one who's been suffering these last few weeks?! So what if you got stuck with my inner self! _I _got stuck with SHUKAKU!!!! Do you have ANY idea how perverted he is?!!"

"Ua, YES! I've had to live with him for eighteen years!! You only had to endure three weeks!"

"Yeah, but YOU'RE not a girl! I haven't been able to shower in peace!!"

"Neither have I!" he yelled back at her. "Pulse I had to deal with girl stuff!! I swear! You NEVER shut up!"

_**WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? **_

**I'm not that perverted!!! **

Sakura's face turned bright red. "At least I don't have an irrational fear of LAMAS!!!!!!"

**You go girl! /**_**You go girl! **_

Gaara's eyes flared again. "Who told you that?"

"Ua… Dua!!!" she pointed to her head with her other hand firmly placed on her hip.

"Shukaku I'm going to kill you!" he barked.

**Ha! Like I haven't heard that before. **

"He's not afraid of your empty threats. He say's you're a cowered!" Sakura smirked at Gaara.

**I never said the coward part!!! **

_**Ooo. Burn. ^_^ **_

"That's not as bad as what your inner says! She bashes on you all the time! You're not brave enough, strong enough, pretty enough, would you like me to go on?" he smiled devilishly.

_**I never said that!!! Gaara you're such a monkey butt!!**_

"Monkey butt?!?!?!?!?! Oh real mature!" he yelled at Sakura.

"I never said that!" she hollered at him.

"Your inner did! It's the same thing!"

**Tell him I said I want you to be my sexy bitch so I can get you naked and cover you in honey and then I can lick it off, especially when it comes to getting it off your- **

_EW!! SO disturbing!!!!!! _

**Just say it!!! **

Sakura put her hands on her hips. "Well I guess if what we say and what our inners say is the same thing then you just said that I'm your sexy bitch that you want to get naked and lick honey off of!"

_O_o _

"I would never say-" Gaara started.

"Doesn't matter. Shukaku said it. It's the same thing!" Sakura smirked.

"I'm NOTHING like that perverted Tanuki!" Gaara shouted.

"Prove it! Start acting like a mature individual and start talking to me like a normal person!"

The alleyway fell silent as both Gaara and Sakura shut their mouths and stood their, glaring each other down with arms crossed over their chests.

"So…" he started, a bit awkwardly. "How do we switch back?"

"I'm not entirely sure." Sakura said, still glaring at him. "From what I know we switched when we got electrocuted so maybe getting electrocuted again will switch us back."

"Oh, that's a good plan," Gaara said nodding, then his voice got sarcastic. "There's just one problem, this is SUNA! No rain which means no lightning!"

"Oh…" Sakura's face fell. "I hadn't thought of that…"

"There's a big surprised." Gaara grumbled. "If you had gotten here three weeks ago maybe-"

"Oh no you don't! Don't you dare try and blame this on me! You could have come back to Kohana!"

"I'm the Kazekage!! They wouldn't let me leave!!!!"

**Guys! Civil remember?!!! **

_**Calm down Gaara! Stop playing the blame game and start acting like a mature adult.**_

Both Gaara and Sakura huffed, turning away from each other.

After several minutes of silence Gaara finally started talking again. "So what are we going to do now?"

"We've been over this. We have to electrocute ourselves again." Sakura grumbled.

"So what do we do? Go to the land of lightning? Wait for a storm?" he asked somewhat sarcastically.

That's when it came to Sakura. "Oh, I'm so stupid!" she laughed, hitting herself in the forehead.

"Not like we didn't already know that." Gaara smirked.

_**Oh! Oh! You're a genius Sakura!**_

"Okay. What are you and you inner talking about? What's you big breakthrough?"

Sakura smiled at him. "Lightning isn't the only way you can get electrocuted."

Gaara's jaw hit the floor in realization. "I've got it! Come with me!" He grabbed her hand and started running down the alley.

Sakura's legs moved on without her being consciously aware of making them go. She was too busy gaping at the place where her hand met Gaara's as he pulled her along.

***RandomnessRules***

Sakura bit her lip and looked around the white exam room of the hospital. "G-Gaara? I'm not so sure about this…"

"Don't worry Haruno. We're in a hospital, remember? Just in case something goes wrong."

She gulped. "A-Alright." He outstretched his hand for hers and she took it shakily.

"Alright. Here we go." Gaara said, holding up a kunai knife.

"Wait Gaara. I think we should hahahahahahahah!!!" Sakura was cut off and started screaming as he plunged the knife into an electrical socket. The electrical current went through both their bodies, shocking them.

Gaara finally managed to let go of the knife, coughing, not just because of the actual electrocution but because of the smoke rising from the outlet and filling the room.

"What's going on in here?!" a nurse yelled, coming into the room.

Gaara shut the door on her before she made it into the room. He coughed again, a little ring of smoke coming out of his mouth.

"Did it work?" Sakura asked, trying to detach her hand from Gaara's. She had a theory the skin had burned together.

**You tell me. **Shukaku mumbled from the back of her mind.

_**You guys are so stupid… **_Gaara heard in his mind. He looked at Sakura.

"No." they said at the same time.

***RandomnessRules***

"And how is this safer than the last time?" Gaara asked rubbing his feet against the rug as hard as he could.

"It doesn't involve smoke." Sakura said, shuffling across the rug.

"I never knew we had a Rug World in Suna." Gaara marveled, looked around at the huge store.

"Alright," Sakura said, rubbing her wool socks a few more times on the ground. "Ready?"

Gaara shuffled towards her, keeping his eyes on the wool socks she had made him wear for this trial. "Alright." He said holding out his hand for hers. As soon as they touched each other they were shocked with a force that brought them to the floor.

"Did it work this time?" Gaara moaned, his head spinning.

_**Try again Let's see if you can manage to fry yourselves again. **_Came inner Sakura's voice from the back of his mind.

***RandomnessRules***

"Trust me. This has got to work." Gaara muttered, handing Sakura one of the car jumper cable and opening up the hood of the Bat Mobile (Yes. We said Bat Mobile. You're not crazy. Yet.)

"Whatever." Grumbled Sakura, holding the jumper cable in one hand and his hand in the other.

"On the count of three." He said. "One. Two. Three!" They touched their cables to the inside of the cars hood.

(Insert electrocution sounds and a lot of screaming.)

***RandomnessRules***

"Alright, so my last idea didn't work. But this one will." Sakura insisted, smiled up at Gaara.

He looked at her blankly. "If I die, DON'T come to funeral."

"You've got it. Ready?" she asked.

"What have I got to lose?" he muttered.

"Alright. Here we go." Sakura dropped the curling iron into the tub of water they were standing in.

(Big glowing light and sparks flying.)

***RandomnessRules***

"You put your hand in." Gaara said in all seriousness.

"No way! It's your turn!" Sakura argued.

"I came up with the idea! YOU get to do it."

"But I just got a manicure!"

"Liar. Just do it."

"If you're so brave, you do it!"

"Fine!" Gaara snapped. He rolled up his sleeve, gripped her hand and stuck the other hand into the toaster. Needless to say it didn't work.

***RandomnessRules***

"This time YOU have to do it." Gaara grumbled to Sakura.

"What's stopping you?" she questioned.

Gaara held up one of his hands, the one he stuck in the toaster. "I can't get my cast wet." He grinned.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Fine! I'll do it. She held Gaara's hand in one of hers, reaching in to the electric eel tank with the other.

(ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ)

***RandomnessRules***

"Last time?" Sakura asked.

"Sure." Gaara muttered, concentrating more on lifting them up higher into the sky. The sand beneath them didn't falter, still continuing to lift them upward. He took her hand in his. "Ready?" he asked, hopefully for the last time.

"Like it could get any worse." Sakura rolled her eyes. They both grabbed a hold of the power line at the same time.

They both screamed as the electricity pulsed through their systems. They fell to the ground, along with a few roasted birds that had been sitting on the wire.

***RandomnessRules***

Sakura and Gaara sat side by side on a bench, completely unaware of all the people on the street that passed them, looking at them in weird ways. Sakura's hair was so full of static electricity it was like a pink halo around her head. It was bigger than an afro and stuck out even more noticeably.

Gaara's hand was in a cast but at least his hair was relatively intact except for one piece on the side that stuck up awkwardly, the tip alight, burning away.

**We should have stopped trying at the toaster. **

"We shouldn't have tried after the toaster." Sakura mumbled, almost completely out of it.

_**No. I think we should have stopped after the rug thing. **_

"We shouldn't have tried after the rug." Gaara said, dazed.

They looked at each other, drained of energy, hope and will power to get electrocuted AGAIN.

"I think we need a new plan." Gaara said.

Sakura nodded in agreement.

_**Ha! They should have totally stuck the knife in the toaster to electrocute themselves! It works! ^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^**_

How do you know?

_**Because I've tried it! Apple stroooooooooodle!!! Gum balls!! LAMAS!!!!!!! **_

When did you try it?

_**(Sniffle.) When I was Emo. **_

Ha! That means I get to try it! ^_^ (Runs off with a key towards a light socket.)

_**No!!!!! You might kill a butterfly!!!!! (Grabs Crimson just as she sticks the key in) **_

**Both shocked. **

**Until next time good people. **


	6. Chapter 6

Key: read or you won't get anything!!

Naruto rules = Crimson

_**Naruto rules = Tristen**_

**Naruto rules = both of us!!!!**

**Sorry it took so long. We've been busy. **

_**You look good with an afro. ^_^**_

Shut up! Your mom looks good with an afro!

_**Hey! Emos don't do your mom jokes! Traitor! I shall never forgive you. **_

Life sucks…

……………………

Say something! Gees, did I really make you that mad?

_**(Shakes head and writes a note to Crimson.) **_

(Opens note and start's reading.) 'Sorry Crimson, my beloved friend but I can't speak. My face is too sore from smiling non stop for the last few days… months… YEARS! I can't remember how long it's been! Pretty pink ponies!'

WOW. I never thought I'd see the day when Tristen would use the words pink, pretty, and ponies all in the same sentence. The apocalypse must be coming…

_**NO!!!! It's getting worse!!!! I used all three of the dreaded P words! ALL AT ONCE!! **_

**Electrocution is Actually Not That Bad**

Key.

Shuukaku – **This print**

Inner Sakura – _**This print**_

Sakura couldn't be sure what exactly had woken her. She was in her apartment and it was pitch black. Sitting up out of her bed she found the room started to spin as her head pounded in her skull.

_Who ever knew repetitive electrocution could give you a hangover? _

…

_Shukaku? _

**Sleeping… go away… ** The demon groaned back at her before slinking back into the deepest and most secluded part of her mind. It would appear Sakura wasn't the only one who had a bad hangover.

"Whatever…" she muttered to herself, concentrating more on getting out of bed. Looking to the clock on her bedside table Sakura became startled. It was blacker than black in her room. There was _no way _it was four o'clock at night.

She staggered over to the window, almost falling over twice. Gripping the ledge of the windowsill she threw back the heavy curtained allowing the sun to come pouring in, blinding her half to death.

"My eyes!" she groaned, covering them and falling back onto the floor. Note to self: the hangover came complete with sensitivity to light. Well, at least now she knew it was most likely four in the evening, the sun beginning to set right outside her window.

Stumbling into the bathroom, Sakura turned on the shower and stripped, too tired and out of it to care if Shukaku was paying attention or not. The water was cool, falling gently on her back, allowing her muscles to relax. Sakura sighed in contentment.

But still, though her body was relaxed and calm, her mind was in a whirl. She had this gut-wrenching feeling she'd forgotten something. Something big and important.

Was it Gaara? That's right! She hadn't thought of him yet. What exactly had happened to him after their wild and crazy experiments? A horrible image of a head-to-toe bandaged Kazekage came to mind and Sakura shivered. She _really_ hoped he was okay…

That's when a faint memory started to creep into her mind.

_It was dark, the moon high in the sky and the stares sparkling as Gaara walked her up the stairs leading to the front door of her apartment. _

"_Oh Crap!" she groaned. "The tea ceremony! I totally forgot! We were supposed to be there hours ago!"_

"_Calm down Haruno. I rescheduled. Just… Ugg, just stop yelling. You're giving me a headache." Gaara said, holding his head in his hand, covering up his love tattoo. _

"_Oh…" she whispered, feeling a bit foolish. _

"_Don't worry about it." He blew her off, as if being inconsiderate wasn't that big of a deal. "So what are we going to try tomorrow?" _

_She blinked, shocked. "You're not seriously thinking of trying again are you? Wasn't, what was it? SEVEN electrocution attempts enough for a lifetime, especially considering we managed to live through all of them?" _

"_It's not like we've got much of a choice, unless you want to be stuck with Shukaku forever." He shrugged. _

"_I guess you've got a good point… That, and I don't think you could stand living with my inner for much longer." _

"_Actually, it's not as bad as I thought it would be…" Gaara mused. _

_Sakura's jaw dropped. "Do my ears deceive me? Did the great Sabaku no Gaara, Kazekage of the sand village, just admit to LIKING my inner?" _

_He frowned. "I never said I liked her. I just said she's not that bad. But then again, compared to Shukaku any other voice in my head is better than him." _

"_You've got a point there." She smirked. "He IS pretty bad." _

"_Yeah, he is, but… I never thought I'd say this but I miss that perverted Tanuki. It's creepy not having a part of myself actually in my mind." _

"_Same here." She smiled at him. He looked down towards the ground, avoiding her smiling face. No one had ever smiled at him like that before… _

_The awkward silence continued until Sakura found a way out of the situation. She yawned, surprised when it started out fake but ended as a real one. She hadn't realized how tired she was._

"_Well, I better be heading off to bed before I pass out while still standing up…" Sakura said. _

"_Yeah, right." Gaara responded, just as relived as she was to get out of their awkward position. Sakura turned towards her door, but froze in place when she heard Gaara smirk. _

_She turned back around, a little confused. "What?" she asked. _

"_I just realized something." He chuckled. "I have to be heading off to bed too." _

"_And that's humorous because…?" Sakura prompted. _

"_That's the only up-side to having your inner voice in my head. With Shukaku gone, I can actually sleep." He explained. _

_Sakura gave him a small, torn type of smile, almost sad but not quite. "Well then goodnight Gaara." _

"_Goodnight Sakura." He turned to start heading back down the stairs, completely oblivious to Sakura frozen in place right outside her door. _

_She was staring after him, her mouth hanging open in shock, her eyes wide with the same emotion. There was no way. She had to be dreaming but… she wasn't. He'd called her Sakura. He'd never done that before. _

"_Gaara!" she called out after him. Sakura ran the necessary two feet to reach the ledge of the stairs, looking down the fire-escape-like staircase leading from the apartments to the street. He was already five floors below her, but he still heard her call, pausing and looking back up towards her. _

"_Yes?" _

_Great! Now what was she going to say? Thanks for finally calling me Sakura? Question why he did it? She bit her lip, trying desperately to think of something else to ask him._

"_Umm…" she tried. _

"_What?" he questioned, his voice tired. _

"_Ua, when… when's the tea ceremony/dinner-thing rescheduled for?" there. That was a sensible question. _

"_Tomorrow, at the Kazekage mansion. Five in the evening." _

"_Thanks." _

Sakura's flash back ended and she screamed, falling out of the shower.

**Ha! What?! What happened?! Let me at him!! **

Sakura lifted herself up, half crawling over to her towel and quickly wrapping around herself.

**Sakura, what's wrong?! Why did you scream?! **

She didn't answer. Instead, Sakura bolted into her bedroom, throwing the clothes from the dresser all over the floor in a mad tornado.

**Are you going to answer me or should I just assume that you've gone mad? Not that you weren't crazy before… **

_The tea ceremony!!!_ She ran back into the bathroom, throwing on a flurry of pink clothes and almost ripping her hair out with the hairbrush.

**What about it? **

_It's starting in less than an hour! _

**Well that sucks… **

_Shut up!!! _Sakura straitened out her kimono while trying to put up her hair at the same time. There was no way she was going to be on time and presentable. What was everyone going to think of her? She was supposed to be the wedding planner! And she was a wreck! She was supposed to be at the Kazekage mansion almost an hour ago, in formal dress, looking as pretty as she could at Ino's right side. Ino! She was going to kill her!

***RandomnessRules***

Gaara paced back and forth, almost wearing a hole in the floor of the formal dinning room. Everyone else had arrived, everyone but her.

Ino and the rest of the Konoha representatives were in a separate room as it wasn't proper to meet until everyone from both parties were present.

_Where is she? What could be taking her?! _He growled, but even in his thoughts Gaara couldn't disguise the worry in his voice.

"She's going to be here Gaara. Calm down. Gees. I've never seen you so up-tight." Temari said, crossing her arms over her chest.

He turned to Temari to throw her a death glare but was caught off guard by her outfit. She was wearing a kimono, one he had seen his mother depicted wearing in portraits.

It was deep purple with many different collared flowers littering it, complete with a white underside. Gaara stared at, unable to look away.

"What?!" Temari snapped at him.

"You look…"

"Like a girl?" she teased. "Well that's because I am one smart-ass. What? Did you think you were the only one who had to dress up for this little fiesta?" She motioned to the Kazekage robes he wore.

"I'm not dressed up." He contradicted.

"Yes you are. You may not realize it, but you are. Just calm down alright? Sakura will be here soon."

"Sakura's not hear?" Gaara and Temari turned to see Kankuro walk down the stairs, dressed in his finest commander's outfit.

"No." Gaara frowned.

"Not yet." Temari added, trying to keep her youngest brother's hope alive.

"What do you care?" Kankuro asked. "It's just Haruno. Why would you be worried that she wouldn't show?"

"I'm not worried." Gaara grumbled, trying to deny the obvious.

"You totally are. Don't try to lie to us." Temari smirked.

"Yeah. She's right. What's been going on between you two lately?" Kankuro asked. "Sakura left Temari and the others yesterday. Hinata said she had some work to take care of, but I heard a roomer that you two were in Rug World –of all places- and you were supposed to be doing work too…"

Gaara swallowed, perhaps a little too hard.

"What's going on Gaara? Something's up with you two." Temari said.

"Nothing's up. I'm just mad that she's late." He answered.

"No. You're worried that she's late." Kankuro contradicted.

_**They're right. You are worried. **_

___Not you too! _Gaara moaned on the inside.

"Nothing's going on between us." Gaara answered his siblings as calmly as he could.

"You're SO lying." Temari cut herself off to gasp, her eyes turning wide. "I know! You like her!"

"No!" Gaara said, a little too defensively. Wait. He was right, wasn't he? There was no way he could have feelings for Sakura… was there?

_**Sakura probably just slept in… **_

__"Look you guys," he said calmly. "She probably just slept in. I'm probably just acting like I'm worried about because I _am _worried, but about this whole wedding thing; not her. And if either of you think otherwise, you're delusional."

_**Then again, she could have gotten attacked by enemy shinobi and could be bleeding out in an alleyway somewhere, inches away from death. **_Inner Sakura mused.

"WHAT?!?!?!?!?! What do you mean she could be bleeding to death in an alleyway?!?!? You better not be joking woman or I'll kill you!!!!!!"

Gaara only realized he'd been speaking out load and not in his head after the words had left his mouth. Kankuro and Temari were staring at him as if he had three heads or something along those lines.

"Gaara," Temari asked lightly. "Is there something you're not telling us?"

The rest of the rage building up within him escaped then. "Yeah, I have been hiding something from you guys. The truth is I'm stuck with Sakura's inner personality in my head! And living with a woman in my brain is seriously screwing me up more so than usual, and Sakura's stuck with Shukaku! And he's probably freaking her out with all of his perverted-ness!! And now she's probably dieing somewhere in an alleyway! Stuck hearing lame Chuck Norris jokes from Perverted Shukaku until she eventually dies from blood loss!" he yelled, his voice growing louder with every passing sentence.

He stood there, huffing in front of his siblings, his chest rising and falling violently as he tried to catch his breath. Temari and Kankuro couldn't move. They were too stunned to do anything but gape at him.

Gaara heard the click of the door opening behind him and turned around. Sakura stood in the entry way, wearing a stunning pink and red kimono, her hair up in a gracefully, flowing, loose bun with flowers pinned in her hair. She'd painted her lips bright red and coated her cheeks and eyelids in a light coat of pink. The look on her face was embarrassed, like she knew she'd just walked in on a private conversation.

She bit her lip in that little embarrassed way of hers. "Umm… am I interrupting?" she murmured, looking down to the ground rather than at any of their faces.

***RandomnessRules***

Gaara sat in front of the sliding door, on the floor with nothing around him except for Temari on his left and Kankuro on his right. They sat traditionally, on their knees with their feet tucked under them.

The three musicians sitting in the far corner started to play their traditional Japanese instruments as the sliding door in front of the three opened.

Naruto and Shikamaru entered, both dressed in traditional shinobi dress clothes, black and cream colored men's style kimono's with the crest of a warrior over their hearts. Naruto's was a base color of black with cream under it. Shikamaru's was just the opposite.

They walked in, taking their seats across from the sand siblings and bowing to them. Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro bowed back.

Next, Hinata and Sakura entered. Hinata had her hair done like Sakura, in a loose and gracefully flowing bun, held in place with two long sticks. Her kimono was light sky blue with a white underside like Sakura's with white flowers on in, unlike Sakura's red flowers.

Hinata sat on her knees at Naruto's side, while Sakura did the same, sitting by Shikamaru. Then Ino entered. Her hair was somewhat put up, most of it hanging down to her waist, and small purple flowers were pinned into it. Her kimono was light purple with creamy cloud like designs on it, with big sleeves. She wore a gold necklaces around her neck and earrings that matched it. Like Hinata and Sakura her lips were painted bright red, her cheeks dusted with blush, and her eye shadow the same color as her kimono, light purple.

She was just as pretty as his sister or Hinata, Gaara assumed, but nothing special. He didn't feel tempted to stare at her, not like he was when it came to looking at Sakura for the moment. Something about the way she was dressed tonight made him want to glue his eyes to her. But Ino? He felt nothing.

Ino sat across from him, bowing as she sat. He bowed back as was accustomed. They sipped their tea in silence, talking little. The same was to be said for dinner. The servants brought in a small table only about a foot off the ground and set it with many plates covered in beautifully presented food.

The conversation eventually picked up though no one dared touch the topic on everyone's mind; the wedding.

"So what outdoor activities do you enjoy Lord Kazekage?" Ino asked casually, trying to get to know her future husband better.

"I don't get much time to spend outside these days, but when I find time I enjoy training, patrolling the city, and sparing with the other shinobi. And you?" he asked.

Ino looked to the table in front of her as she spoke, not wanting to meet his eyes. "I very much enjoy peaceful walks through parks."

"No training?" he questioned.

She didn't look up as she continued. "Not very much, no. I only train when it is necessary, never for a leisure activity."

Gaara nodded, not understanding her logic. He could think of nothing else to do outside but train. Peaceful walks through a park? He hadn't known such a thing existed.

"What are your favorite foods?" Gaara asked, trying to keep up the conversation.

"I don't really enjoy food very much, but I'd have to say something simple, like a plain rice bowl or a simple soup. How about you?"

Gaara looked down. "I prefer spicy foods. Curry; things like that."

They had nothing in common! Why of earth did she agree to marry him?

Sakura became more and more shocked with every question that Gaara answered. She had no idea they had so many things in common. She adored spicy curry and training was one of her favorite things to do besides stay up late watching movies.

"Hey Sakura?"

She turned to see Kankuro, directly across from.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Is it true?" he asked, whispering so no one would hear him. He didn't have much of a worry though. Naruto, Hinata, and Temari were having some sort of discussion. Gaara and Ino were talking, and Shikamaru was asleep.

"What?" she asked, a little confused.

"Did you and Gaara really trade inners?" he asked, curiosity written all over his face.

Sakura went pale. He told them? She could already feel her anger start to build. Wait. She shouldn't be angry. After all, she told her friends. Why shouldn't he tell his siblings?

She bit her lip, her cheeks being painted with the blush of embarrassment. She nodded slowly.

"So the lightning did it?" he asked, remembering how Gaara had told them they'd switched after being electrocuted, right before they walked in to the room to meet their guests.

"Yes."

"How are you going to get back?"

Sakura frowned. "I don't know. We were thinking another electrocution, but yesterday we tried a couple of times and nothing happened."

"Did you try a tazor?"

"A what?"

"A tazor." Kankuro repeated. "Did you try one?"

"No..." Sakura mused. "We never thought of that."

Kankuro smirked. "Wait here." He got up as subtly as he could manage and walked out of the room. Great. What was he up to now?

She turned her head to see what everyone else was doing at this point but everyone was still talking. She tried to catch Gaara's eye to warm him his brother was up to something but he was completely absorbed in his conversation with Ino.

Sakura frowned. Why was it Ino always got everything? She was so much prettier than her. She was better at making conversation. She sure stole Gaara's attention in a hurry, just like she stole the attention of every boy she was around.

Gaara may not have wanted to marry her in the beginning but Sakura was sure he'd changed his mind by now. After all, Ino was the most beautiful girl in Konoha. Sakura sighed. Why couldn't she be that pretty?

Ino answered another question with that little smile of hers, flipping her hair.

_**How the hell can she keep it SO neat after doing that?! **_Inner Sakura growled.

_What? _Gaara asked, confused.

Inner Sakura huffed. _**She's just so perfect! She flips her hair and not one strand gets out of place! It makes me so angry! Why can't I do that? **_

Gaara was becoming more confused by the second. _I thought Ino was your best friend. _

_**She is but… I know she's my friend but deep down there's a part of me that… I guess hates her. She's always gotten everything she's ever wanted. Everything! The best clothes, all the attention, the better missions, all the hot guys! She has everything and I… I don't. **_

_You're jealous of you friend? _

_**I guess that's one way of putting it. I just wish for once in my life I could be better than her at something. **_

_You're a better shinobi than her. _

_**No I mean better at something important. **_

_And being a shinobi isn't important? _

_**Important in girl world. Different things are important there than here. Important things there are how pretty you are or how skilled you are at flirting or something like that. **_

Inner Sakura sighed. _**I wish I was pretty…**_

Gaara looked out of the corner of his eye to see Sakura. She was gazing at Ino with a longing look on her face. It was as if her face and Inner Sakura's words matched up perfectly.

"I got it!" Kankuro proclaimed re-entering the room. He held a cheep five dollar camera in his hand. It looked deformed and broken but he didn't seem to notice.

"What is that?" Gaara asked. And why didn't he notice that his brother had left?

"I'll show you. Stand up." He said, yanking his brother to his feet.

"What is this all about?" Gaara question in his serious, I-don't-like-where-this-is-going tone.

"You'll see." Kankuro chuckled, yanking Sakura to her feet as well.

"What are you doing?" she asked, a little worried about what the answer might be.

He took Gaara's hand and Sakura's putting them together, making it so they were holding each others hands. Ino and the rest of the people looked confused and a little weird-ed out.

"Kankuro, I demand to know-"

Gaara was cut off as his brother jabbed him with the camera, only it wasn't a camera. Kankuro had made it into a tazor.

(Insert electrocution sounds and a bunch of screaming and yelling.)

***RandomnessRules***

Sakura sat outside in the beautiful garden out in back of the Kazekage's mansion. So fare it was the only place she had seen in Suna that was completely green.

Great green trees provided shade everywhere with fully in bloom Sakura trees doting the yard. Smooth stones set into the grass covered ground provided paths through the paradise. Flowers grew everywhere, providing more color to the green haven. There was a man-made pond with water lilies on the surface of the deep blue water and koi fish swimming beneath it. The pond fed a stream that ran through the garden with little bridges here and there to cross it. And then a small waterfall fed into the actual pond, keeping the rest of the water display functioning.

Lastly the Suna sunset in the background completed the scene of absolute tranquility and harmony, scattering gold over the picture in front of her. Sakura could not think of a more peaceful place in the world as she sat perched on top of a decorative gray rock off the side of the wood deck coming off the house.

She wrapped the fluffy white robe she wore tightly around her to keep out the chill that came with the desert's night.

Kankuro's attempt to help only resulted in Gaara's hand getting burned and Sakura's kimono setting on fire. Nothing else happened, besides Temari beating up her brother for his stupidity and everyone else being thrown into chaotic disaster. Inner Sakura was still in Gaara's and Shukaku was still in her.

She was just happy right now she had her mind to herself. Shukaku had crawled back into his dark corner and gone to sleep, claiming he was tired, though Sakura knew the truth. He wanted to give her some time fore herself.

Sakura heard someone begin to approach her from behind but did nothing. She already knew who it was.

"Hey." She heard Gaara's husky voice from behind her. Looking up she saw him standing beside her on the other part of the great rock. "Mind if I sit here?" he asked.

"Sure, _Lord Kazekage." _She teased.

"What?" He scrunched up his features in confusion.

"'Mind if I sit here?'" she quoted. "You're still in Kazekage mode."

"Kazekage mode?" he asked, sitting beside her.

"Yeah," she mused. "You're not yourself yet. The proper, polite, well-mannered part of you is still in control, not the actual rude and forceful Gaara part of you."

"So you think I'm rude and forceful?" he questioned raising a non-existent eyebrow.

"Hey, I'm just saying, that _is_ who you are."

"And you know this because…?"

She gave him her are-you-kidding look. Sakura pointed to her head "Shukaku remember?"

"Right," Gaara nodded. "What, he's saying I'm dumb for forgetting right now, isn't he?"

"No. He's asleep." She smiled.

"Lucky you."

"What? My inner giving you a hard time?"

"Not really. Not right now anyway." He shrugged. "She's asleep to."

"I just think they wanted us to have some time alone." Sakura said.

"Those sly inner personalities." Gaara said sarcastically. "I wonder where they get it from."

Sakura laughed. "I wonder."

"Am I really that rude and forceful?" he asked, dragging the old topic back up.

"Yep. But it's just who you are. It's your personality. You're just naturally like that."

"Since when do you presume to know so much about me?"

"Since I got Shukaku bunking with me." Sakura said in her light voice.

"I'd be careful if I were you," Gaara warned. "Don't forget, now I know just as much about you as you know about me."

"Oh, like what?" Sakura challenged.

"You've got a movie stash in your cabinet." He replied. Sakura's smile disappeared and her face turned a little pale. "And your favorite genera is horror."

"Please don't tell anyone about that." She whispered in a small voice, more embarrassed than Gaara would have thought possible.

"Why?"

"It's kind of awkward. I mean, I'm a shinobi and I'm addicted to lame, Hollywood drama." Sakura said.

"Alright. I won't tell." Gaara promised, looking away from her flushed face and to the koi pond.

"You know you don't have to be so jealous of her," he whispered after several minutes of silence.

Sakura looked up at him confused. "What are you talking about?"

"Ino," Gaara clarified. "You don't have to be so jealous of her."

Sakura blushed again. "You know about that?"

"How could I not know? Your inner went on about it for like five minutes." Gaara said.

Sakura looked down to the grass at the rocks base, took embarrassed to look directly at him. She heard him get up and start walking back across the deck towards the back door to the mansion.

"I wasn't joking you know." He said, right as he opened the door. "You have absolutely no reason to be jealous of Ino. She may be pretty, but you're every bit, if not more, beautiful than she is Sakura."

Sakura almost fell of the rock. She turned around as quickly as possible to look at him with her wide and shocked eyes. But he wasn't there. He'd already disappeared inside of the house.

She turned back around to face the fish pond, bringing her keens up to her chest to wrap her arms around them.

Was it just her imagination? Was this all a dream? Or was it true? Had it really happened? Had Gaara, the fearsome, cold, and careless Gaara just told her that she was beautiful?

She sat there as the sun's light completely disappeared from the sky, overtaken by the moon's glow, and thought deeply about the situation she was now it.

"…_you're every bit, if not more, beautiful than she is Sakura." _

_**Old McDonald had a farm! E-I E-I O!! With a Ruff, ruff here and a ruff, ruff there… **_

Ha! Ruff! Just like your mother likes it!

_**How would you know?!?!?! You lame Emo! And I told you no your mom jokes! **_

What do you mean I would know?!?!

_**Umm… Because you're perverted. ^_^ **_

What do you mean _I'm _perverted?! You were the one who thought of the stripper the guys get for the bachelor party!! And let's not forget you made her give a lap-dance to- __

_**Shut up! You're going to give it away!!!!!! **_

Oh, sorry.

_**Pervy Sage!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! **_

What about him?

_**We should totally invite him to the bachelor party!!!**_

You do know what that would lead to, right?

**(Shivers at the thought) See you guys next time. **__


	7. Chapter 7

Key: Read or you won't get anything!!

Naruto rules = Crimson

_**Naruto rules = Tristen**_

**Naruto rules = both of us!!!!**

We have nothing to say except sorry it took so long. Tristen's been really busy and had no inspiration to write. She's been really stressed lately too.

_**Well, of course I'm stressed!!!! I've been stuck being happy for the past couple of months! AND I just sent my book in for its first edit!!! Of course I'm stressed!!! What if they don't like the book?!?!?!? What if it never gets to the publisher!?!?!??!?! (faints.) **_

And on that note… Enjoy the story. Now, where did that bucket of cold water go? Oh Tristen, I've got a little surprise for you… __

**Electrocution is Actually Not That Bad**

Key.

Shuukaku – **This print**

Inner Sakura – _**This print**_

Gaara continued to struggle, trying to get out of the binds that held him in place. If only he could summon his sand, but no. They had thought of everything, dousing his sand in water so it was too heavy to summon.

How _dare_ they do this to him? Duck tape his mouth and strap him to a chair in a dark room, COMPLETELY AGAINST HIS WILL!! And then there was the eternal question: what would they do to him? Looking around the room at the eight snickering figures, their eyes piercing through the darkness he doubted it would be good. Gaara struggled once more, trying desperately to get loose before IT (whatever IT was) happened.

_Sakura! Sakura! _He called out to the inner inside his mind, but there was no answer. She couldn't help him, not now. He was alone. All alone.

Gaara took a deep breath, trying to calm down. He'd been through worse, been stuck in worse situations and he'd always managed to find a way out, and, if he didn't, he always survived whatever they were going to put him through. What could possibly make this time he was captured any different?

His head snapped upward at the low creaking sound of the door to the room opening. It was so quiet Gaara could hear his heartbeat, rapidly increasing as his heart pounded within his chest cavity. Faster and faster it sped as the door opened more and more each second until it was gaping wide.

Gaara's jaw would have dropped to the floor if it wasn't for the duck tape. He stopped breathing. No way! No F*$ WAY!!!!!! NO!!!!!! Anything but that!!! How?!!! How could his capturers be so cruel??!! Anything would be better than this!!

His heart sped up again as his breathing turned to quick and panic. He had to get out now! He had to find a way to escape! But there was no way out. Even if he got out of his binds the eight figures surrounding him that were now laughing away would stop him. He could do nothing, nothing but sit and watch in horror as the figure stepped slowly through the door and started to walk towards him, smiling sweetly.

Gaara swallowed hard. And to think, all of this had started that morning…

***RandomnessRules***

"Gaara! Gaara!!! Get your lazy ass out of bed now!!"

Gaara groaned, rolling over and throwing a pillow over his head, ignoring his sister's annoying high pitched voice and the sound of her fist making contact with the door to his room.

"Now Gaara! The guests are arriving today! We've only got five days until the wedding! Get up!!"

What was the point of finally being able to sleep when people went and woke you up?

Temari put her hands on her hips. "Sabaku no Gaara, if you do not get up and get out of there right now I'm going to have to get Sakura over here to bust down the door."

"You're not my mother." Gaara groaned. "Besides, Haruno wouldn't do that."

"Want to bet?! She's down stairs now with Ino, Naruto, Hinata, and Shikamaru. I'm sure she'd be happy to help." Temari smiled.

_**I'd listen to her. There's no way in hell Sakura would pass up the opportunity to annoy you, especially considering how you've been nothing but a burden to her for the past few weeks, doing nothing to help her out with the wedding. **_

_She's got girl friends for that. _

_**Yeah, but she wants to include you, to make sure you like everything! That way you can't complain latter that you don't like something. **_

…

_**Get your lazy ass out of bed right now!! **_

_Ugh, not you too… _

"Gaara!!" His sister's shrill voice barked.

"Fine! I'm up! God, would it kill you to let me sleep in?" He grumbled, sitting up and ruffling his hair.

_What's the point of sleeping? They just wake me up anyway, WAY before I'm ready. _

_**Stop complaining. Would you rather not sleeping like you used to?**_

_If it means I don't have to listen to you…_

_**Shut it! **_

Gaara didn't respond. Instead he shuffled his way to bathroom, picking up the clothes on the edge of his dresser as he went. He didn't bother to shower, instead Gaara just threw on his red training outfit and splashed some water on his face.

"You're hair looks horrible." Kankuro mumbled when Gaara finally made his way down the stairs.

"Gaara!" Temari scolded. "What part of the guests are arriving didn't you get? You're supposed to wear your Kazekage robes. And… did you even take a shower?!"

"Calm down, Temari. It's not like Grandma Tsunade is going to expect a big, fancy welcome." Naruto tried to calm her down. He looked away from her and to Gaara. "Hey." He greeted him with a smile.

Hinata, at his side, smiled to Gaara as well, waving slightly. He nodded in their direction. Shikamaru was leaning against a wall, half asleep. Ino was standing in the room with her arms crossed over her chest and her mouth pressed into a little pout. Obviously, like Temari, she was disappointed that he wasn't all dressed up as she was in a pretty purple dress with a parasol.

Sakura was standing next to Hinata, avoiding his gaze entirely. Gaara raised a nonexistent eyebrow. What was with her? She'd been acting like that for the last few weeks, ever since the dinner ceremony.

She avoided looking at him, hardly ever talked to him, and when she did talk to him it was about the wedding. Even then they just ended up getting into an argument. The memories from the other day came flooding back to him.

"_Gaara? Which table clothe do you like best?" she held up two table clothes. Gaara cocked his head to the side; he could see no difference between the two. _

"_I don't know. Just ask Temari." He looked to the side to see his sister and Hinata at the other end of the story squealing and giggling about candle sticks of all things. Planning a wedding was SO boring… _

_That's when Sakura's neutral face filled with anger, her fists clenching and her eyes hardening._

"_Which one?!" she demanded. _

"_I don't care! Just pick one!" he barked back at her. _

_Sakura huffed, turning sharply away from him. "You're useless." _

_Gaara's eyes flared. "Well excuse me, but in case you didn't notice I'm a guy!! It's not my job to plan the wedding!!! Besides, what does my opinion matter?! Its Ino's wedding. Go ask her which stinking table cloth she likes best!" _

_Sakura glared at him before turning around again and walking away from him. _

Yes; that's how things had been lately. No matter what he did Sakura just got mad and yelled at him. And whenever they weren't fighting they weren't talking at all, just like now.

"Good morning Ino." He greeted her first as was accustomed. "Shikamaru," he nodded towards the lazy genius. "Sakura." He greeted lastly, hopping it went unnoticed how his eyes lingered on her, looking for any type of response to his greeting. She just nodded, not looking at him as Ino and Shikamaru had done.

"Well, let's get going, shall we?" Temari smiled, heading for the door out of the Kazekage mansion.

***RandomnessRules***

Sakura felt increasingly awkward as they walked towards the gates of Suna. Temari was talking with Ino, Kankuro and Shikamaru were arguing about god knows what, and Hinata and Naruto were completely absorbed in each other. That left her and Gaara the only two people without anyone to talk to, not to mention they had somehow ended up walking beside each other. The awkwardness was strangling her.

Ever since their little discussion in the garden of the Kazekage mansion the unease about things had consumed Sakura entirely. Everything had been turned upside down thanks to that conversation and now Sakura didn't know what to think.

To cover up her uncertainties she'd been pushing Gaara away, never talking to him unless she had to. But when she did talk to him things always went wrong. They always ended up fighting, and she didn't know why. Was she just being overly defensive to hide her insecurities?

She'd thought her and Gaara were friends… somewhat. But now… She had these feelings arising within her that she didn't understand. And of course Shukaku didn't help matters. He constantly teased her about it, saying she was secretly falling in love with Gaara.

Ha! Her? Falling in love with Sabaku no Gaara? Yeah right! Like that could ever happen. …Right…? Wait. What was she saying?! Of course she couldn't be falling in love with him! They were just friends, just as she was just friends with Shukaku, or Naruto. There was nothing there besides friendship. There couldn't be. He was marrying Ino, not her. Besides, like she would ever want to marry him! Ha! Her marrying Gaara. Oh that was rich! She had to bite down on her lower lip to keep from laughing.

**Actually… I could actually see you guys together. **Shukaku mused.

Sakura could feel the color fading from her face. _Shut up! We both know you're just trying to make me confused. So I thought I liked Gaara for a grand total of, like, three seconds. It's over! Drop it and move on! I'm over my temporary bout of insanity._

**But you said it yourself. Those feelings are still there. **

_I never said THOSE feeling are still there. Yes, there feelings but completely different ones. I- I think… Ugh!!! I'm not sure what to think anymore. You're confusing me! _

**What's there to be confused about? You're falling in love with him. ^_^ **

_N-No! You… You're wrong! _

**Am I? Or are you seriously falling in love with Gaara? **

_You want to know what? Just shut your mouth! You're trying to confuse me and twist things. Gaara and I are friends. No more, no less. Now shut up. _

Sakura blocked out Shukaku's voice before he could respond and drove it to the back of her mind, along with all of her doubts about her own words.

As they stood by the entrance to Suna, Sakura wasn't the only one having trouble with their emotions.

Gaara was going through more inner turmoil than she was. Not only did he have all of his Kazekage duties, and the wedding, but he also had to figure out what was going on with Sakura. She'd been acting so strange lately, but it wasn't just that. It was the fact that he couldn't get her out of his mind.

Every waking moment he found himself thinking about her. About what she was doing, what she was feeling, or why she was being so cold towards him. The questions wouldn't stop.

His eyes wandered from the desert to her figure as she leaned up against the side of the great sand wall. The cool, early morning breeze whipped her hair lightly around her face and ruffled her training clothes as the first rays of the sun peaking over the dunes brushed her skin gently. Her long, lean, cream colored legs drew attention as they shifted positions. Her eyes were closed peacefully and her lips were slightly parted as she breathed in and out slowly.

Gaara couldn't bring himself to take his eyes off of her she was so beautiful.

WOAH!!! Hold up!! Beautiful?!?!?! Had he just thought that?!

_**Awe! Gaara! ^_^ I had no idea. **_Inner Sakura cooed. He pushed the voice to the back of his head, not allowing Sakura's inner to go on.

He took in a deep breath, searching for a reasonable explanation for his thoughts. He must have eaten some bad sushi or something. There was no way. No way at all. It was impossible. Then the memory of the formal dinner came back to him. He'd called Sakura beautiful that day as well, only out loud. Man! How much bad sushi did this stinking village have?! And how on earth had he let that slip without realizing it?!

Inner Sakura broke through his barrier, in a sweet voice dripping with honey and seductiveness. _**Come now Gaara, you know you think I'm beautiful. You're just dying to touch me, to hold me in your arms, and to hear my voice echoing through your mind, your name on my lips. Gaara…**_

He pushed her voice away again, to the back of his mind, but this time it was much harder than the first time. The tone she had used. The way she said his name… He shook the thought from his mind.

But there was a part of him that heard the truth of her words. The reason he'd agreed to go along with her to pick out things for the wedding, so he could be near her. The reason he said things he knew would make her mad, just so he could hear her voice.

"Lady Tsunade!"

Gaara felt his heart soar when she spoke. He watched Sakura run forward to meet the Hokage, engulfing her in a huge hug.

"Sakura, it's so nice to see you too." Tsunade smiled. "I've missed you," she looked up towards the rest of them. "I've missed all of you." She walked forward, tackled in another hug from Naruto. Shikamaru, Ino, Hinata, and Gaara's siblings simply shook her hand. Gaara also shook the Hokage's hand formally welcoming her to his land.

Tsunade had not come alone, however. She'd brought with her many lords, ladies, high ranking shinobi, and of course…

"Kiba! Choji! Sai! Tenten! Neji! Bushy-Brow!" Naruto cheered, tackling all of his friends at once. They all fell to the ground in a giant dust pile.

***RandomnessRules***

Tenten was whisked away with the girls once the formal introductions had been made, off to shop, have a good time, and take care of more things for the wedding.

"Ooo!! That dress is perfect!" Tenten squealed, grabbing it off the rack.

"It's perfect for the rehearsal dinner." Ino giggled.

"Yeah," Sakura teased. "I'm sure Neji will _love _it." Tenten blushed.

"What about you Hinata?" Temari asked, holding up a reveling blue dress. "I'm sure Naruto would approve." She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. Hinata's face turned bright red.

"Come on Hinata. It wouldn't kill you to try it on." Ino urged.

"B-But wh-what if N-Naruto sees?" She stuttered.

"That's the point!" Ino, Tenten, and Temari said at the same time.

"Don't worry," Sakura soothed. "The boys went down to the training fields. He won't see it unless you get it."

Hinata took the dress with a shaky hand and slowly made her way to the dressing rooms, trying to make herself invisible.

"Hey Sakura? What are we doing tonight?" Tenten asked.

"Yeah," Temari added. "What _are_ we doing?"

"We should have a sleepover." Ino said. "After all, it has been a long time since we were all together."

"That's a good idea…" Sakura mused.

"Oh! I got it!" Temari smirked. "A Bachelor-et Party!!"

"That's a great idea!!" Tenten squeaked.

"You mean you'd do that for me? You'd throw me a bachelor-et party?" Ino asked, stunned.

"Of course we would! It's tradition!" Temari said.

"She's right." Tenten piped up. "All brides get a bachelor-et party, just as the grooms always get a bachelor party."

"We should higher male strippers…"

"Temari!" Sakura said, shocked.

"What?! The guys' higher girl strippers. Why shouldn't we have some fun too?" she pouted.

"I highly doubt Gaara of all people would have a stripper at his party." Sakura thought out loud.

"She's right." Tenten said. "Besides, if we got a male stripper I think Hinata might fall over and faint."

"Fine." Temari grumbled.

"What about me fainting?" Everyone turned around to see Hinata wearing the blue dress, looking very embarrassed.

"AWE! That's SO cute!" they squealed, making her blush further.

"So it's settled." Temari said. "My house at eight o'clock."

"What's at eight?" Hinata questioned.

All the other girls smiled at her before squealing "Bachelor-et Party!"

***RandomnessRules***

Naruto looked down at the small piece of paper in his hand again, reading the print.

Come to the third door down the North West corridor of the Kazekage mansion at noon today. Come alone. Tell no one.

What was going on? He and his friends went to the training grounds for a bit before they all decided to go back to the apartment complex to settle in and take a break. But when he opened the door to his apartment he'd found the strange note.

After finding his way to he mansion and through its many vast halls and rooms he'd found it. The third door down the North West corridor. It looked like any other door, brown and plain. Naruto reached out slowly to knock on it, but before he got the chance to do so the door opened, a pair of hands shooting out to pull him in. His mouth was covered before he could scream and the door was shut behind him, plunging the room into total darkness.

When the hand over his mouth disappeared Naruto could think of only one thing to say. "What the hell?! What's going on?!"

"Keep your voice down Naruto." A voice muttered, annoyed.

"Neji?" Naruto questioned. The light in the room turned on then, reveling the big room, containing nothing except for him and all of his friends. They were all there. Neji, Sai, Rock Lee, Shikamaru, Kiba, Choji, and Kankuro.

"What's going on guys?" Naruto asked.

"That's what I'd like to know. What's with the secret meeting Kankuro?" Neji asked the puppet master.

He smiled wide. "This, my friends, is a meeting to plan the most sacred part of any wedding."

"Wedding?" Sai asked. "But guys aren't supposed to plan the wedding. That's the girl's jobs."

Kankuro's menacing smile widened. "Ah, that's true, except for one exception. There is one part of the wedding that is completely up to the men to plan. The one thing that involve use, hanging out and being men with no girls to ruin anything. The best part of getting married and the one thing that makes getting a spouse bearable."

"What?" Everyone questioned at once, tired of Kankuro going on and on.

The impish grin on Kankuro's face widened further, mischievousness gleaming in his eyes.

***RandomnessRules***

Gaara looked to the katana hanging on the wall in his office just for show, seriously considering chopping his hand off with it. Besides, if he had to sign one more piece of paper it was going to fall off anyway.

This sucked. Everyone else was out having fun, training and hanging out and he was stuck in his office doing paperwork. It couldn't get any worse, especially because now he had no one to talk to, to help pass the time. Usually he would just talk to Inner Sakura, but he was still afraid to let her out of the dark section of his mind he'd sent her too. He was sure she hadn't forgotten the incident that morning.

_Knock! Knock! Knock! _

"Come in," he muttered, his eyes fixated on the paper in front of him even after the door opened. When the person that had entered didn't say anything he finally looked up.

"Oh, it's just you guys. What do you want? I'm working." He grumbled. When no one responded Gaara's eyes narrowed. "What?" he questioned, but again he received no answer.

Gaara's eyes widened and his mouth opened to yell at them but it was too late. He was knocked unconscious before he could even respond.

***RandomnessRules***

Gaara opened his hazy eyes, feeling horrible as if he was going to pass out.

"Hic! Ha! Good joke Kankuro!" he heard… wait Choji?

"Yup! Amazing!" Kiba slurred out.

By the sound of it all of his friends were drunk and completely out of it. He blinked a few times and sat up, holding his pounding head in his hands.

"What did you guys do to me?" Gaara's eyes went wide when he heard his own voice slur.

"Hey! Hic, nice to see you're up again –hic- Gaara. I told you the sake was strong! Hic!" Naruto giggled.

"What?" Gaara questioned.

"You and Neji's drinking contest. He won –hic!" Naruto pointed to a passed out Neji, hugging and empty sake bottle.

"Nutmeg…" the unconscious man muttered in his sleep.

Memories started to come back to him. They had thrown a bag over his head and kidnapped him from his office. Gaara faintly recalled Kankuro giving him a shot, probably of something to make him out of it enough to agree to leaving his office and getting into a drinking contest with Neji.

He remembered the bag coming off of his head in one of Kankuro's rooms at the far end of the mansion and being handed something to drink. He remembered a wrestling match between Sai and Choji and watching boxing on TV. Then there was more drinking, then nothing.

"Kankuro, what happened?" he asked. "How'd you get me out of my office?"

Kankuro looked so stoned it wasn't even funny. Gaara spotted weed in his hand. That explained it.

"Sorry about that little bro," he mumbled. "We gave you a shot of some creepy drug to get you here."

"What drug?"

"Cali something…"

"Calicon?!" Gaara screeched. (Fake drug name people. We're not that creative.)

"Yeah. That."

"I'm allergic to that!!" Gaara barked. That would explain everything. The effect of the drug was to make someone pass out for a short time, but since he was allergic it would make him out of it when he woke up. That explained how he'd agreed to this… whatever it was.

"What's wrong?" Rock Lee smiled, so drunk it wasn't even funny. "Aren't you enjoying your bachelor party?"

"Bachelor party?!?!?!?!" Gaara yelled.

"Yeah. I thought you liked it." Kankuro said sadly, frowning.

"No! I was just under the effect of that drug! The alcohol must have counteracted it."

Kankuro's frown deepened. "You mean you don't want to keep partying?"

"No! I'm leaving!" Gaara hissed, standing up and marching towards the door. He was tackled to the ground before he got there.

"Let go of me!" No one listened to him.

"Straightjacket time!" Sai sang.

Gaara's eyes widened. "WHAT?"

Seconds later he was strapped to a chair, in a straightjacket. "Sorry Bro, but we're not letting you miss your own bachelor party, especially since the best part hasn't happened yet.

Gaara opened his mouth to scream at them, but he found a piece of duck tape over his mouth before he could think.

_Damn! Kankuro! Let me out of here!!! _

_**Yeah!!! Now, Kankuro or you'll be sorry! **_Inner Sakura added.

He struggled against his bindings but nothing happened.

"Come on, Gaara. Like I said, the best part's coming." Kankuro said.

_**Do I even want to know what the best part is? **_

_No. _

Kankuro smirked. "You see, we hired a stripper."

_I told you, you wouldn't want to know… _

_**Kankuro! I'm going to kill you! A stripper?! Have you COMPLETELY lost your mind?! **_

"No need to thank me." Kankuro smiled. "Just a little gift from me to you. Did you really think I was going to let my little brother get his first kiss on his wedding day? Hell no!"

_**Wait. You've never been kissed? **_

…_I've never felt the need to indulge in meaningless actions provoked by overactive hormones. _

"Here she comes now." Kankuro snickered along with the other guys.

Gaara continued to struggled against the straightjacket as the door opened oh so slowly. His eyes went wide when the girl entered wearing nothing but a lacy bra and underwear. She had short bleach-blond hair and brown eyes. She wore way too much make-up, and her breasts were threatening to burst out of her bra.

She smiled at him, not noticing the fear bottled up in the Kazekage's eyes.

_Why me? _He whined, whishing with all his might he was anywhere but there.

_**Why me?! **_Inner Sakura cried.

Gaara thought quickly, trying to make his wet sand move, but he didn't know if it worked because his concentration of his gourd was obscured by the girl coming up to him, practically pushing her breasts into his face.

***RandomnessRules***

"Okay Hinata, truth or dare?" Ino smirked.

"Truth." The shy girl answered.

Sakura didn't hear the question asked of her friend from inside the bathroom as she situated her pink sports bra and extremely short pink PJ shorts that barley went down two inches past her hip.

She skipped out of the bathroom to join the other girls just as everyone started squealing. Hinata's was redder than red. Sakura took that as a sign she'd answered their embracing question.

"Wow. Slutty much Sakura?" Ino giggled at her friend's PJ's.

"Like you're one to talk." Sakura rolled her eyes. Ino looked down at her black lingerie set and shrugged.

"Whatever." She blew it off.

"Okay, Sakura, your turn. Truth or dare?" Temari asked.

**Dare! Dare! **Shukaku cheered.

_Wow. You're excited. _

**I've never played this game before. **

_That would explain it. _

"Dare." She said.

"Hmmm…" Temari thought. "I dare you to…"

"Ahh!!!"

Everyone jumped, looking to Tenten. "What? What is it?" Ino asked.

"Look!" she pointed across the room. They all watched in horror as a small amount of sand creped under the door and shifted around on the carpet like a snake.

"That's Gaara's sand." Temari muttered a little confused.

Everything went dead silent as they waited for the sand to stop moving. When it finally did, it spelled out on word on the carpet.

HELP!

"Temari, where are the boys?" Sakura asked, a little scared.

"I think there in Kankuro's TV room, down the North West corridor." She answered.

"Well what are we waiting for?" Tenten pumped her fists into the air and headed for the door, the other girls at her heals.

***RandomnessRules***

_Please! Someone get me out of here!! _Gaara screamed on the inside since nothing could get through the duck tape.

"Hey, Sugar!" Kankuro told the stripper. "Take of the duck tape and give him a big kiss!"

"Yeah! Yeah!" the other guys cheered.

_NO! NO! _

_**NO!!!!!!! **_

The stripper smiled at him, continuing to rub her body against his.

_Crash! _

Everyone in the room snapped their heads over to the door that had just been kicked in. There stood all the girls, looking at them with shocked expressions on their faces.

Sakura couldn't believe it. There were all the guys, all holding beer or sake bottles and there, in the middle of the room was Gaara, strapped to a chair with some whore sitting on top of him, giving him a lap dance.

"AAH!" the girls screeched.

"Kankuro!!!" Temari shrieked.

"He- hey, Sis." He chuckled, a little hint of fear in his voice.

"Ah! You Whore!!" Ino shrieked, marching over to the stripper. "Get off of him!"

The girl got off of Gaara's lap and cowered against the wall.

Ino stood in front of Gaara with her hands crossed over her chest. A vein popped out of her head.

"Honestly, Gaara. I know our marriage is arranged but the least you could do would be to come to me if you need a fix." She tore the duck tape off his mouth in one swift motion. Gaara had to bit down on his lips to prevent his scream from reverberating around the walls.

"Neji!" Tenten barked. "I expected better from you!!" Neji hung his head in shame.

"Naruto!" Hinata cried into her hands.

"Hinata! It's not what you think! The stripper was for Gaara!" he tried to explain himself. "It's a bachelor party thing!"

"See! I told you we should have gotten a male stripper Sakura!" Temari pouted.

Gaara's head snapped up at that, his eyes going straight to Sakura, flaring with anger. A male stripper?! She was going to higher a male stripper to –ewe it was so awkward to think- to pleasure her and her friends?

Sakura saw the look he was giving her. Wait. Was that jealousy she saw in his eyes? How dare he be jealous that they were _thinking_ about getting a stripper when he was the one who actually got one?! Well if that was the way he was going to be, might as well fuel the fire…

"You're right Temari. We should have SO gotten one." She said, glaring Gaara down as she spoke.

"You can't do that!" He barked at her.

"Why not? You obviously had fun. Why shouldn't we?" She questioned.

"That thing wasn't my decision!" he cocked his head in the direction of the stripper who was leaving through what was left of the door. "I'm in a straightjacket for God's sake! How could this MY choice?!"

Sakura shrugged. "Maybe the straightjacket is a fetish or something. How should I know?"

"Sakura, he's telling the truth!" Kankuro tried to explain. "We wanted to show him a good time –even though I don't think he had a good time- and get him his first kiss before the wedding next week."

"First kiss?" Ino giggled. "I'm marrying a kissing virgin?!" she went into a laughing fit along with Tenten.

Sakura smirked and giggled a little as well. "Ha! So the great Sabaku no Gaara can't even get kissed. That's rich! Then again, no one would ever _want_ to kiss you, so I can see why you had to have your brother pay for your first kiss."

"Actually, the stripper didn't kiss him yet." Kankuro chuckled.

"Ha! So he can't even get kissed by a whore!" Sakura teased. Wait. Why was she being so mean to him about this? Could… could it be that she was jealous too? No, never. That was impossible. Right…?

Gaara's face turned red. "Like you've ever kissed anyone before!" he barked at her. Sakura's smile fell and Gaara smirked. "I'm right, aren't I? Poor little Sakura's never been kissed."

"I've kissed tons of guys." She turned away from him, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Yeah right." He barked.

"It's true! And I've been told I'm a great kisser!" she yelled at him.

"I'll believe it when I see it." He spat back at her.

"If you're such a great kisser, how about you give Gaara his first kiss?" Sai suggested.

"Shut up Sai!" Gaara and Sakura barked.

"Hey, that's actually a good idea." Kankuro smiled.

Temari was smiling too. "Let's finish our game of truth or dare shall we? Sakura, I dare you to kiss Gaara."

Everyone burst out in laughter, even Hinata.

"No way!" Sakura said, disgusted. But they were serious. She could tell by the way they were watching her. "I- I can't." she tried. "Ino-"

"Go a head." Her friend giggled. "I give you full permission to kiss my future husband."

"She won't do it." Kankuro snickered. "She's too chicken."

"Don't I get a say in this?!" Gaara shouted.

"No!" everyone shouted at him.

_Chicken?! _Sakura's eyes flared. _No one calls me a chicken and gets away with it! I'll prove them wrong! _

Her eyes burned with determination as she turned around to face Gaara, still strapped in the chair, wearing the straightjacket. His eyes widened as she started towards him with clenched hands.

"No! Haruno get away from me now! I'm warning you-"

He was cut off when Sakura sat on his lap, straddling his waist. He didn't fail to notice the fact she was only wearing a pink sports bra and matching mini-shorts, her flat stomach and long lean legs exposed.

"S-Sakura-" he tried to warn her to get away, but his voice caught in his throat as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Shut up, Gaara," she whispered.

Then she kissed him, slow and passionate. Gaara's mind went black just as Sakura's did once their lips touched, the whooping from their friends fading away into nothing. Gaara felt his entire body go rigid as she slipped her tongue into his mouth, running it over his. But before he could respond in any way the kiss was over as quickly as it had begun.

He stared at her with wide eyes, his jaw hanging loose as she got up off his lap, smirking at him.

"I told you I was a good kisser." She whispered at him before turning and walking out the door before he could even blink.

WOW. Tristen that was really… suggestive.

(Crickets chirping)

Tristen?

_**I can't believe I had to write that… I feel so… dirty. (Shivers) **_

Well this certainly complicates things… Keep reading people. It might take us a few weeks to get the next chapter up, but it will be worth it. Two more chapters to go…


	8. Chapter 8

**REALLY Important note!!!!!!!!!**

**When posting the first chapter of previous stories we sent a courteous private message (PM) to every person who added one of our other stories to their list of favorites. However, now the list of people who have done this to one of our stories is so big it would take us a week to get out all the PM's when we post our next story. Translation: If you want us to send you a PM when our next story is posted, please send a private message to Tristen1497. You will then be put on a list to insure you are aware of the postage of any future stories up to a week before they are actually put up. Thank. If you actually read this, you guys rock! **

**-2crazy random people **

**P.S SorryX10000000000000000000000000000000000000 for being so late. :( :( :( you have our full permition to BBQ Tristen. **

**_Why me?!!!!!!!!! Why not the both of us?!!!!!_**

I'm not the one who writes the stories. That all you my friend.

_**Whatever. Now that that's out of the way, let's see how that kiss affected Gaara and Sakura's relationship, shall we? ^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^**_

Sick-o! Was I that perverted when I was preppy?

_**Worse. And I'm not being perverted! Or suggestive! I'm stating a fact!**_

Whatever…

_**Let's just get to the story. After all, only one more chapter after this one… **_

**Electrocution is Actually Not That Bad**

Key.

Shuukaku – **This print**

Inner Sakura – _**This print**_

_**I can't believe it. **_

**Neither can I. **

_**Are you sure? **_

**Are you? **The demon threw back at Inner Sakura.

She thought for a minute. _**Most definitely. I know your personality better than most, so I know half of Gaara's personality. And as for the other half of it, judging by what he let out while I've been in his head, and seen him do before this whole electrocution thing I'd say I know Gaara pretty well- **_

**And going by what you know, you're sure. **

_**I'm positive. What about you? How do you know? **_

**Gaara guards his emotions on the inside and the out. Sakura, on the other hand, only keeps them in check on the outside. Knowing that, and getting to know you over these last couple of weeks I'm pretty sure. Actually, there's no doubt in my mind. **

_**I… I can't believe this. They're actually falling in love. **_

**Who would have ever thought Gaara, of all people, would be able to fall in love? **

_**Who would have ever thought it would have been Sakura he fell in love with? I mean, they're so different. Polar opposites really.**_

**At first glance, yes, but when you think about it they have a lot in common. There are us for one thing. They both have inner partially because they never say what they think. Then there's the obsession with movies. **

_**Oh yeah, I forgot about that… **_

**And their passion for becoming stronger. They share that. And they don't like opening up for other people. **

_**They both like watching the sun rise and set and have trouble in the sleeping department. **_

**What? What do you mean about the sleeping? **

_**No one knows this, but she actually had a bit of a trouble with sleeping. She can't get to sleep sometimes, and when she does she wakes up in the middle of the night. But it stopped, right after they switched inners actually… Weird that it would stop then. **_

**Ha. Ironic. We both cause sleep deprivation. I guess we have a lot in common as well. **

_**I guess… **_Inner Sakura bit her lip, looking away from Shukaku.

**Sakura, what's wrong?**

_**I just thought of something, **_she said slowly. _**Sakura and Gaara are in love with each other; they just haven't' realized or admitted it yet. **_

**Right. **

_**And we are reflections of a part of their personality, the desires they are sometimes unaware of. **_

**Yeah… **Shukaku was not quite sure where she was going.

_**So, does that mean… we're in love…? **_

Shukaku's eye widened at her words and his mouth hung open in shock. Was she right? Had the inner personality's fallen love, just as the individuals had? He smirked, chuckling at his own realization. **You know, I think you might be right. **

Inner Sakura thought about it herself. She'd treasured the time both Gaara and Sakura had been asleep, the time her and Shukaku could spend talking together. And though his personality was rather dark and cynical compared to her own happy-go-lucky-ness she found it refreshing, the perfect complement to her own. _**I think so too.**_ She whispered.

Shukaku chuckled more. **You know, I always thought that the kid and I could never fall in love, and even if we did, I'd hate it. And now that it's happened, I don't object in the least. I'm actually… glad, especially that it was you. **

Inner Sakura smiled. _**I'm glad too, if not a little freaked out. **_

**So what now? **

_**Now I think we need to give Gaara and Sakura a few pushes in the right direction. But… **_

**What? **

_**I've just thought of something else. You know, eventually, we're all going to figure out how to reverse this and get back in the right minds. Do you… do you think we'll still love each other after that? **_

**There's no doubt in my mind. **

_**Do you think we'll still be able to talk to each other? **_

**Maybe, and if we can, I swear I'll let Gaara sleep, so we can talk to each other. **

_**Really? **_

**Really. Now, since that's out of the way, how do you suggest we go about giving them a few pushes in the right direction? **Shukaku grinned impishly, his smile mirrored by Inner Sakura.

***RandomnessRules***

Sakura ran around her apartment, trying to get ready as quickly as she could. Today was going to be a big day. In fact, it would be the biggest day, besides the wedding. Tonight was the dinner rehearsal, and she still had so much left to do. Ino and Temari were down at the spa, getting Ino ready for the big day with a hell of a lot of pampering and facial treatments. Temari had offered to let Sakura go with Ino and she would handle everything, but Sakura wasn't going to take any chances. It was her responsibility to plan the wedding, and she wasn't going to take the last day of preparation off to go get pampered. What if something went wrong?

Tenten and Hinata were taking care of the guests pouring into the city, arriving from the four corners of the globe. Guiding them to their lodgings and making sure their presents and other luggage was taken care of, a huge task in itself.

Then of course, all the guys were too busy getting rid of their hangovers and doing nothing to help, but Sakura expected no less. It wasn't their job to take care of everything. It was her job, and hers alone. She was on her own today.

**So where are we going first? **Shukaku asked.

Well, not exactly on her own. She did have one dedicated friend to help her, even if it meant she only got mental support and not an extra set of hands to help.

_Ua… First I'm going to check in with the caterers. _

Shukaku's fear sparked for a moment. He'd told Inner Sakura they were planning on going to the florist first. At lest, that had been the plan yesterday. This was not going to work. They had to go to the florist first, or else nothing was going to work out.

**Sakura? I thought we were going to check on the flowers first. **

_Oh! You're right! Thank you for reminding me. What would I do without you to keep my head straight? _

Shukaku felt a spark of pride knowing he'd helped her, and knowing the plan was not going to be spoiled.

**Come on. Hurry. We've got to be there by nine. **He reminded her. Sakura nodded, grabbing her clipboard full of information and heading out the door.

***RandomnessRules***

Gaara sat at his desk with glassy eyes. He hadn't slept much the night before, and when he did he just had the dream again. The one he'd been having for a week straight. He was sitting in the chair again, the one his brother had strapped him down in, but this time he was sitting freely in it, no straightjacket, and the room was empty. Kankuro and everyone else were absent. Well… almost everyone.

Sakura was in his dream, just as she had been since he started having the dream. She was dressed just like before, in her skimpy bra and shorts and she was walking towards him, her expression soft. She sat on his lap, straddling his waist, but now with his hands free he wrapped them around her waist, pulling her closer to him. And then she was kissing him again, just as she had on that fateful night, only in his dream he always kissed back, trying to coax her into letting his tongue enter her mouth. Her hands would be tangled in his hair, pulling his head back, making him moan, then her fingers moved over his chest, as his grip on her waist tightened.

And then he'd wake up, every time praying Inner Sakura was unaware of the dream. This past time the dream had been more intense than it had in the past. It was almost as if it was real. Her hot breath on his neck and his hands on her warm skin. If Gaara didn't know better, he would have thought it was really happening. And there was something else that was different about the dream. Towards the end, right before everything faded out he could have sworn he heard voices. Two of them, talking off in the distance. One was definitely Sakura's voice, and the other almost sounded like Shukaku's, but Gaara couldn't be sure. He hadn't heard the demon's voice in so long; he'd all but forgotten what it sounded like.

Gaara drove the dream from his thoughts before Inner Sakura came forth from the depths of his mind and caught him. Sure enough, she popped up at that moment.

_**That was a nice rest. ^_^ Hey, what's up Gaara? Were you lonely without me?**_

_No. _

_**Really? You didn't miss me at all? Sadness. So what are you doing today? **_

_Work. What else? _

_**I thought you'd be taking the day off. After all, tomorrows the wedding. **_

_Don't remind me. _

_**Too late. And tonight's the rehearsal dinner.**_

_What's that? _

_**You don't know?! Gaara, it's where you go over your toasts and stuff! Haven't you been practicing?! **_

_No. _

_**Did you even write out your vows? **_

_I thought the preacher guy did that for you. _

_**Gaara!!! You're supposed to do it!! Honestly, you've done nothing to help with your own wedding! **_

_Oh well… It's not like I can do anything now._

_**You could if you wanted to. Hey! I've got an idea! Since this is the last day to prepare for the wedding, I'm sure Sakura's swamped! You should help her. ^_^ **_

A million things went rushing through his mind at that moment. Sakura's face, laughing. The memory of the kiss from the bachelor party, and the fragment of his dream.

_No. _

Inner Sakura pretended that she hadn't just seen all that he had thought about.

_**Why not? **_

Gaara's fists clenched. He hadn't even seen Sakura in person since the bachelor party, nor had she made an effort to seek him out. After all, now that the kiss had happened things were sure to be awkward between them. Especially considering he'd been having rather suggestive dreams about her and wasn't quite sure why. He knew he thought she was attractive, but that was not the reasoning behind the dreams. That much he knew.

_**Come on Gaara. She needs help, and I know you don't want to sit here in your office for the rest of the day. Please? I know she'd really appreciate it. **_

_No she wouldn't. _

_**Yes, she would. Besides, I think she needs to see you. You both have unresolved issues about the kiss thing –don't deny it because I'm sure it's true- and I'm sure talking about it with her would clear everything up. Come on. You know you want to. **_

… _It doesn't matter. Besides, I don't even know where she is. _

_**She'd going to be at the florist's shop a nine this morning.**_

_And you know this how? _

_**I have my ways. So how about it? Can we go help? **_

…

***RandomnessRules***

Sakura flipped through the stack of papers on her clipboard, checking off things and circling more things to make sure she didn't for get.

_So, first to the florist to make sure the orders are right, and then arrange a drop off time. Then to the caterers to do the same. Then to the dress shop to pick of the guys things and get everything to do with the dresses set up. We have to get all the decorations together, and see which guests are actually here and coming tomorrow. Then to the building where everything's actually going to take place to set up things. Food and flowers in the freezers. Decorations get set up. Dresses to the changing rooms… _

**Don't forget the gifts. **

_Right. Hinata and Tenten will get them there, but I've got to set up a place for them to go-_

Sakura stopped dead in her tracks, freezing in place. There, across the crowded market place was Gaara, leaning casually against the outside of the florist's shop. He was unmistakable in his red training outfit with his red hair and piercing eyes, looking straight at her. She heard her heart skip a beat. What was he doing there? Was he looking for her? But why? They hadn't spoken since the kissing thing. In fact, Sakura had been deliberately avoiding him because of it.

Ever since then she'd been even more unsure of her own feelings and of his. Everything used to be so simple. They were… acquaintances and she was planning on trying to become closer friends with him for Naruto's sake. Now, she had no idea. She was friends with Shukaku, but he wasn't Gaara. Not exactly, anyway. He was a part of him, but not the whole thing. It didn't count.

**Sakura? Hello? You're going to be late here. **

_M-maybe I should just go. I can come back later… _

**Sakura, just go see what he wants. Knowing Gaara, it's probably nothing, but avoid him and it might very well turn out to be something. **

_Fine… _She groaned, unwilling to go forward, but unable to move backward. Sakura walked towards the flower shop, looking to the ground rather than at Gaara's eyes, drawing ever closer as she approached.

"What do you want?" she asked, stopping in front of him but still keeping her eyes to the sand beneath her feet.

_Now what do I say? _Gaara asked Inner Sakura. _I can't believe you talked me into this. _

_**Just say what I say. 'I didn't have anything to do today, so I was just wondering if there was anything I could do to help you out.' **_

"I didn't have anything to do today, so I was just wondering if there was anything I could do to help you out." Gaara repeated, looking to Sakura's pink hair, hopping she'd look up at him so he could meet her gaze. She did, her eyes wide and confused.

"Why would you want to help me?" She almost barked.

**You didn't have to say it that way. Apologize! **

"I- I mean," she stuttered. "Why all of a sudden do you want to help out? You haven't wanted to do anything this whole time, and now you do?"

"Yes." Gaara answered.

Sakura bit her lip. What was she supposed to say now?

**Tell him he can help. **

"Well, I guess if you really want to help, you can." She murmured, looking back down to the ground.

"Alright." _What now? _He asked Sakura's inner again.

_**Ask what you two will be doing today. **_

"So what's the plan?" Gaara asked the pink haired girl in front of him.

"I'm going to make sure the flowers are together." Sakura replied, walking around him and heading for the front door to the shop.

Gaara watched her as she looked over each different kind of flower arrangements, making sure they were perfect.

"So, I have five hundred of theses, three hundred of theses, and four hundred and fifty of these? Correct?" She asked the florist.

"Yes. They are all complete and ready for transport." The lady replied.

"Alright. Deliver them to this address at noon."

"Yes Miss," the florist bowed, going to fill out the paperwork.

"Where to now?" Gaara asked, looking back towards the arrangements of red and white roses.

"The caterers." Sakura mumbled, crossing off things on the papers on her clipboard and walking out the door.

They traveled down the street in silence, walking side by side.

_What the hell happens now? _

_**Talk to her. **_

_About what? _Gaara asked, bewildered. _I don't know what to say. _

_**Maybe you should try to clarify what happened with the kiss thing since that seems to be the one obstacle blocking you two right now. **_

_How? _

_**I don't know. You figure it out! **_

Gaara thought for a moment before beginning to speak. "So… you were right."

"What about?" Sakura asked, still fawning over her paperwork.

"You are a great kisser."

Sakura's step faltered and she almost fell to the ground. She could feel her cheeks turning bright red.

_**WTF? Of all the stupid things to say Gaara! You're such an idiot! **_

Sakura swallowed hard, trying to think of a comeback to make her feel less embarrassed. "Well it's not like you have the experience to actually a good kiss from a bad one." She threw back at him.

Gaara's face turned red.

**What did you do that for?! **

_He said-_

**I heard what he said, but couldn't you tell that was just Gaara being his normal socially awkward self, trying to break the ice?!**

_Oh… _Now she felt bad.

"For your information, you were _not _my first kiss, and don't flatter yourself. Compared to most, you're not _that_ great of a kisser." Gaara lied through his teeth, trying to lessening his blush.

Bad feeling gone. Now Sakura was pissed again. "Oh, yeah, like you've actually been kissed before! You're _so_ lying. I can tell if it was someone's first kiss or not, and judging by the way you reacted it most definitely was your first."

"Well excuse me for feeling a little awkward, kissing Naruto's and my future fiancé's friend." Gaara barked.

"Naruto didn't seem to mind, and Ino had no problem with it."

"Naruto was drunk off his ass."

"Ino hadn't had any alcohol."

"… Well, then that's just Ino. Besides, I just think she wanted to make us feel awkward."

"Well she definitely succeeded."

"Considering I haven't had the nerve to talk to you for the past week, I'd have to say she succeeded beautifully."

Sakura's jaw dropped, her eyes growing wide as she looked up at Gaara. He must not have realized what he'd said, because he just continued to stare ahead of them, eyes hard and arms crossed over his chest.

"Do you mean that?" Sakura questioned.

"Mean what?" Gaara asked, the hard, angry tone still in his voice.

"That's why you haven't talked to me since then? You haven't had the nerve?"

_Did I seriously say that?! _Gaara panicked.

_**You'd be surprised what you can let slip out when you start rambling. **_

"I guess... Why else wouldn't I talk to you?" He continued.

"I thought you'd be mad at me for going along with it."

"I wasn't mad. Why'd you think that?"

"Because I never thought you'd be nervous about talking to me afterworlds." Sakura explained.

"Obviously I was nervous. How else would I feel after kissing a beautiful girl like you, especially considering we're just supposed to be friends?"

_He did it again. He called me beautiful… _

**You are. Even a psychopath like Gaara can recognize that simple fact. **

_Wait. What did he mean supposed to be friends?_

"What were you talking about when you said we're just supposed to be friends?" she questioned.

_Hey, Haruno? Would you mind stopping me before I blurt out something I know I'll regret? Is that too much to ask?! _

_**Possibly… **_

"W- Well it's just… We're friends right? But, friends aren't supposed to kiss other friends, not like that." He tired to explain.

"It was a dare." Sakura tried to find an explanation.

"Even on a dare." Gaara contradicted. "I mean, don't you think the tongue was a little uncalled for?"

Sakura's cheeks went red. She hadn't even realized she'd done that until quite some time after it had happened. At the moment she'd just been thinking… She didn't know what she was thinking, if she was thinking at all.

**You were thinking. **

_But what was running through my mind if I was? I can't remember. _

**You were thinking you wanted him to get more into the kiss, because if he did that would mean he would like you as much as you like him. **

_I do not like Gaara! _

**Yes, you do. You like him so much that it might very well be love. You just won't admit it, because you're afraid he might not feel the same way. **

_He's Ino's fiancé! _

**Like that means anything. Love doesn't consider that a boundary.**

"Let's change the subject." Sakura muttered, shutting out the demon in her mind and turning her attention back to her papers. "We've got to go see what's up with the cake."

"What kind is it?" Gaara asked.

"Ino wanted vanilla."

Gaara made a face. "I hate vanilla. Chocolate is so much better."

"I know, but it's what she wanted." Sakura said.

"You like chocolate too?"

"It's my favorite," she replied, not really paying attention to the conversation.

"It's mine too." Gaara mused, looking away from her to the street before them.

***RandomnessRules***

They stopped for lunch at a local restaurant after taking care of the food and dressed.

"After this we have to head to the actual chapel." Sakura said, folding her napkin in her lap.

"Alright," Gaara said, playing with the salt shaker. Sakura chanced a lingering glance at him, mesmerized by his handsome face. She'd been thinking a lot about what Shukaku had said, about her liking and possibly loving Gaara, and the more she thought about it, the more the idea scared her. Not because Shukaku was wrong, but because, deep down, she knew that he was right.

Every time she saw Gaara her heart gave a squeeze and she most definitely couldn't deny the way she'd felt while kissing him. She just couldn't believe it had taken her so long to realize it. Even when they'd been apart, during the time where the only part of him she had was Shukaku it had started. Slowly and uncontrollably, she'd been slipping into love with him and not just his appearance but his mind. The way he thought was incredible if not a little unstable, and she loved it about him. She loved how he liked movies too and chocolate and everything else she like. She loved how he shared her passions and his twisted since of humor.

She wanted to be able to talk to him forever and figure out what else was locked deep within his mind, the secrets that Shukaku would never share with her. The things only Gaara could giver her access to. She wanted to spend time with him everyday for the rest of her life. And she wanted him to kiss her. And…

Sakura stopped her daydreaming. She couldn't think such things, because they were never to come true. For one, she didn't even know if she felt the same way about her and even if he did, they couldn't be together. He was marrying Ino, his fiancé and her best friend, in a little over twenty-four hours. It could never be.

Gaara caught her looking at him and gave her a questionable look. She looked away instantly and to the table top. He was about to question her when their meals arrived, two helpings of extra spicy curry, each with a side of fresh sushi.

They were so alike, he thought, eating his mean quietly. She liked the things he did and vice versa. It was strange to think that two people who looked and often acted so differently could be so compatible. Wait. Had he just thought…? He had. He'd just thought they would make a good couple. Gaara felt his stomach do a back flip.

No. He couldn't think of her like that. They were friends. End of story. It had to be. The story couldn't continue. He'd be married soon, and it wasn't like either of them really felt like that, right? He thought she was pretty. That didn't mean he liked her like that.

_**Gaara, don't you realize it? It's a pretty obvious explanation for everything. Why you think about her all the time. Why you have that dream over and over again. Why you never know what to say around her. It's as clear as day. Don't you see it? **_

Gaara ignored Inner Sakura, suppressing the blush he felt, knowing she knew about the dreams. He continued to eat his meal with Sakura, neither of them speaking at all, or looking at each other. After all, what else was there to do? It wasn't true, it couldn't be.

Gaara's fist clenched around his chop sticks briefly. _Right…? _

***RandomnessRules***

"I'd like to make a toast." Gaara said, nervously, rising to his feet with his glass of Champaign. Everyone's eyes were on him and even though almost all of the tables in the dinning room were empty, awaiting the guests that would actually be there that night, he felt sick. Rehearsal dinner's sucked.

"First of all, I'd like to thank all of you for coming today. It means a lot to Suna and Konoha that you are all here to celebrate with us this historic." He felt like an idiot, rambling on to his siblings, friends, the Hokage, and his fiancé.

"Thanks to the exceptional mind of Lady Tsunade," he motioned to her "We have enforced the bond between our two great nations to insure that it may never break as well as joined together two lives," he glanced to Ino, as his notes instructed he do. "I can not tell you all how grateful I am for not only the bond of friendship between Suna and Konoha but for the privilege of being able to call Ino, my beautiful wife.

"Truthfully, I still can't believe she agreed to marry me." The people at the table chucked lightly at the joke and Gaara felt his stomach do another flip. Maybe the person he'd hired to write his speech was right, a few jokes would help to lighten the mood. But now he had another problem. He couldn't remember what else he was supposed to say.

_Great, now what? They're all staring at me! I feel like an idiot!_

_**Gaara, calm down. Sakura gets nervous in front of people too. Just take a deep breath. Focus on something that calms you down, and say what you feel on the inside. Let it come from your heart. **_She advised him.

Without even noticing it, Gaara's eyes landed on Sakura, staring into her green orbs of light and instantly he felt himself calm.

"I feel… so elated that she would actually agree to be mine. I felt that even though I'm Kazekage, she deserved so much better than me. How could I, as flawed as I am, ever hope to be granted such a perfectly beautiful, strong, and gorgeous angel as my wife? How could someone as extraordinary as her agree to love me? But she did agree. Against all odds, she said she'd marry me. And now, all I hope is that I may one day become deserving of her."

Gaara was forced to look away from Sakura then and back to a wide-eyed Ino for the last part of his speech that thankfully he remembered. "And so, let us drink to you, my beautiful wife, and pray that our life together may be a happy one."

He took a sip, like his notes said and sat back down, placing the glass on the table. That's when he noticed no one else had toasted with him. They were all staring at him with wide eyes. Sakura looked… almost pained, like her heart was breaking, and Ino also looked sad. In face Gaara was fairly sure he caught the sight of tears in her eyes.

"Ua… Naruto, it's your turn to toast." Tsunade said, snapping everyone, including herself, out of staring at Gaara with shocked eyes.

"R-Right," Naruto murmured, blinking a couple times before he'd completely left his shock behind him. He smirked widely, raising his glass and taking a large drink. "Sorry," he addressed the room "But I just couldn't wait until the end of my toast." Everyone chuckled smiling and completely forgetting about the toast before.

***RandomnessRules***

Sakura walked down the long hallway lined with while walls and peach carpeting, looking for Ino's dressing room. She'd disappeared as soon as the rehearsal was over and hadn't reappeared. She found the door and raised her hand to knock but paused when she heard the sobbing coming from within.

"Ino?" she asked, opening the door and stepping inside. She found her friend dressed in her wedding dress, standing in front of the mirror. Sakura frowned, confused. Why had Ino come back here to try on her dress? "What's up?" Sakura questioned. She closed the door behind her and walked forward, only then, closer to Ino, did she realize that her friend had tears in her eyes.

"Ino, what's wrong?" Sakura asked.

Ino let her sobs escape her, collapsing to the floor and crying hard into her palms. Sakura rushed to her friend's side, hugging her and petting her hair, asking her repeatedly what was wrong.

"Ino, why are you crying? Please, tell me."

"I can't do this Sakura," Ino cried. "I- I can't!"

Sakura frowned. "Ino, the wedding's tomorrow. What do you mean you can't go through with it?"

"H- How could someone as extraordinary as her agree to love me?" Ino quoted a part of Gaara's speech.

Sakura tired to ask her what she meant. "What-"

"I didn't agree to love him." She sobbed, looking up at Sakura, her mascara running down her face.

"What?" Sakura looked confused. "Tsunade said you'd agreed to marry the Kazekage, and I know marrying him isn't the same as loving him but-"

"No, Sakura! You don't get it. I didn't _know _I was agreeing to marry Gaara." Ino broke.

Sakura's confusion grew. "B- but…"

"My father gave me the message from the Hokage. He told me Tsunade wanted to know whether or not I would agree to marry the Kazekage. I didn't know it was Gaara!"

"How could you not know? His father was the previous Kazekage and it stays in the family in Suna."

"I didn't know that it stayed in the family," Ino claimed.

"So… you didn't know you were marrying Gaara?"

"That's what I've been trying to tell you!" Ino yelled at her before breaking out in another fit of tears. "I can't do this. I just can't. You heard him tonight! You heard the way he spoke about me. Even if it is an arranged marriage… I can't do this. He thinks I at least agreed to an arranged marriage with him, but I didn't. And if I had known, I wouldn't have said yes. Please… Please Sakura understand."

Sakura hugged her friend tightly. "I understand Ino."

"Once I found out it was too late! I would have disgraced the village, and I couldn't do that. He says he's not good enough for me, but the truth is I'm not good enough for him." Ino cried. Sakura held her tighter, trying to get her to calm down. Once she'd settled down a bit Sakura felt it safe to continue to talk.

"So what now Ino? Would you like to go tell the Hokage?"

"No," Ino said, sitting up and whipping the moisture from her eyes. "I'll be alright."

Sakura's confusion grew. "But you just said you couldn't do this."

Ino looked straight at her friend. "My heart says I can't, but still, I know I must. I have a duty to my village I must uphold. The only reason I told you all of this was… because I guess I didn't want to be the only one bearing the burden. So, thank you Sakura, for letting me share my secret, but please promises me that you can keep it our secret and don't tell anyone."

"I'll keep your secret Ino." Sakura promised, hugging her friend. But secretly inside she was dying. Ino didn't love him, and she did. It should be her up at the alter tomorrow. But nothing could be done about it, not now. It was too late.

Gaara turned down the hall, heading for Ino's room. He had to ask her if she was alright. After all, he'd be married to her soon at was his duty to find out why she was crying and put an end to her tears. He stopped short, realizing the Hokage was standing right outside Ino's room. Tsunade turned as soon as he appeared, looking as if she'd just come out of the room.

"Hello Tsunade-sama." Gaara greeted. He wanted to ask what she was doing there, but thought against it.

"Gaara, what are you doing here?" she asked.

"I came to see if Ino was alright. She looked like she was crying." He said, frowning.

"Oh, she's perfectly fine. Her contact was just out of place. Sakura and I were just helping her put it back in place," she motioned towards the door.

"Oh," Gaara said, not quite sure what to do now.

"That was a beautiful speech you made." She commented.

"Thanks."

"Nothing like the one you said you were going to go through." Tsunade said.

"Actually, I forgot what I was supposed to say in the middle," Gaara confessed. "I just improvised."

"How'd you do that?"

Gaara shrugged. "I just said what was on my mind, what I felt when I was looking upon the world."

Tsunade's eyes narrowed. _Now that he mentions it, he was looking at Sakura… Not Ino while he said that part of his speech. _Just then Ino's door opened, Sakura and Ino stepping out in their evening wear, two slimming black dresses.

"Tsunade-sama-" Sakura was about to ask, but she was cut off.

"Ino, I wanted to know if I might accompany you back to your apartment. I had some things I wanted to tell you."

"Alright, Lady Tsunade," Ino said, bidding Gaara and Sakura goodnight before walking towards the door with the Hokage.

"Can I help you Gaara?" Sakura asked.

_**Ask to walk her home. **_

_Why? _

_**Because it's dark and scary outside. Dua. **_

"Since the Hokage and Ino are leaving together, can I walk you home? It's late, and I don't want anything to happen to you."

"Alright then," Sakura said, a little suspicious as she started for the door, Gaara walking by her side.

They walked all the way back to her apartment, even up the stairs in silence until they reached the top level where her apartment door was.

"Well here we are," Gaara mused, leaning up against the railing of the upper level, careful not to fall back and go plummeting towards the ground below.

"Yeah," Sakura said, turning away from her door to look at him. She felt like crying. It was finally hitting her. She loved Gaara, and they could never be together.

"Sakura, what's wrong?" Gaara said coming forward. She looked like she was going to cry. "What is it?" he asked, standing in front of her and looking down at her as she gazed back up at him.

Gaara felt his breathing catch in his throat when he looked at her like that.

_What is this? Why do I feel this way? I've felt it every time I look at her, but… why? _

_**Gaara you're such an idiot. Haven't I given you enough clues? Isn't it obvious? You love her!**_

Gaara felt his eyes widen. _No! I- I can't. She's my friend and- and… _

_**Your speech tonight, you know it was meant to Sakura, not Ino. You dream of nothing but her, and even now, you want nothing more than to kiss her. **_

_But I can't love her… can I? _

_**Of course you can! You do! You've just been too stupid to realize it until just now. And she loves you too! **_

_She what?!_

_**You love her Gaara! And she loves you! I love you! You just never saw it! **_

Gaara couldn't think anymore. His brain seemed to shut down under the pressure of his realization of the truth. All he could comprehend was that he was staring into her eyes while she stared back, a look of slight confusion on her beautiful features. He felt like… no he couldn't do that.

_**Act upon your instincts! Kiss me Gaara! **_

The next thing Gaara or Sakura were aware of, was that they were kissing. Gaara couldn't believe it. It was just as he had imagined and more thrilling, she really did love him. He could feel it in her kiss, in the way her fingers gripped the back of his neck and tangled themselves in his red locks. He did what Sakura had told him, acting upon his instincts licking her bottom lip, asking for entrance, and to his surprise she granted it to him. His hand gripped her waist, pulling her closer to him before pushing her up against her front door. He cupped her face with his other hand, pulling her deeper into the kiss.

Sakura's hands found his face, running over his closed eyelids and back down to his neck, pulling him closer to her. That's all she wanted, for him to be as close to her as possible. She wanted to touch him and for him to touch her back. She felt him grab her under her knee and hitch her leg around his hip. Sakura wanted nothing but to make her other leg do the same, but at that moment something broke through her extreme need to kiss Gaara, her conscious.

Gaara could do nothing but look at her, shocked as in a split second she put her leg down and grabbed his face, forcibly pushing him away and breaking the kiss. He blinked several times, in disbelief.

"Sakura…" he started, but stopped himself when he saw the glistening tears welling up in her eyes. "Sakura," Gaara tried again, reaching up to touch her face. He never got the chance to finish. She backed away from him before his hand made contact with her cheek, letting go of his face and reaching back to grab her door knob.

"I…" she whispered in a breaking voice. "I can't," she turned to flee inside her apartment before Gaara could react. Slamming the door in his face Sakura locked it and leaned against it, her tears falling to the ground. She slipped down, moving to sit in a fetal position beginning to cry harder, sobbing while hugging her knees.

"Sakura! Sakura!" Gaara tried, knocking on the door. She hugged her knees tighter.

"Go away Gaara, just go away." She sobbed.

"But… Sakura I love you." Gaara admitted. Unfortunately, his words only made her cry herder.

"Go," she begged, her voice breaking with her tears. Sakura could almost feel him, leaning hid forehead against her door.

"Sakura please, what did I do?" he pleaded, but there was no answer. Gaara stood outside her door for he didn't know how long, thinking about nothing and everything at the same time. It finally came to him as he stood there with Sakura on the other side of the door, everything silent except for her quiet tears.

"I understand Sakura," she whispered, so low he wasn't sure if she could hear him. "I'm sorry." Sakura heard the low rustling of Gaara's sand as it engulfed him and he disappeared.

Once he was gone her cried intensified, unable to hold themselves back any longer. Why? Why had this happened? It wasn't enough that she loved Gaara but couldn't be with him, but on top of that burden she had to know that Gaara loved her back. It wouldn't be half as bad not being able to be with someone when you knew they didn't love you, but knowing they did? It was pain worse than death.

"Oh Gaara," she sobbed to the darkness around her. "Why? Why did you half to love me too?"

***RandomnessRules***

A single figure watched the lovers kiss. She watched as they broke apart and watched the girl run away, shutting him out. She heard his confession of love and her final words of woe once he'd left her.

"Well, this certainly changes things." She mused. "I wish I could intervene, but I can't, not now. Besides, what fate wants to happen will. I suppose I'll simply just have to sit back and watching things unfold."

_**Hey!!! I've written 106 six pages of this story!!! Single spaced! ^_^ Hey! Crimson! Crimson! Crimson! Crimson! **_

What?

_**Can we go to Universal Studios to celebrate?!!**_

No.

_**PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEASE?!! Please? Please?! Please?! Please?! Please?! Please?!**_

FINE. Just shut up! See you guys latter. Only one chapter left. 


	9. Chapter 9

**Crimson and Tristen can't talk right now. They went on the Cat and The Hat ride and got scared for life. So, on with the story!!!! **

**Electrocution is Actually Not That Bad**

Key.

Shuukaku – **This print**

Inner Sakura – _**This print**_

Sakura was already up when her alarm clock went off that morning. Her hand hit the off button before it had time to sound its annoying wake-up call. She pushed the clock to the ground, letting it fall with a clang before wrapping her arms around her knees and drawing them up to her chest. She hadn't slept all that night. Instead she'd just sat there, crying her eyes out.

"_Sakura… I love you." _

She shook his voice from her thoughts, trying to hold back the new stream of tears waiting to run down her face. She couldn't. Not today. She could spend the rest of her life morning over the loss of the one she loved, but not today. Ironic, how the one day she couldn't cry was the one day she wanted to the most; the day Gaara and Ino would wed.

Sakura shut out her emotions as all shinobi did when facing extreme pain and got up out of her bed, heading to the bathroom to get ready.

**Sakura? **She heard Shukaku whisper from the confides of her mind.

_Not now Shukaku._She said emotionlessly, trying to keep her feelings bottled up inside of her.

**But Sakura… **

_I said not now, didn't I? _She said, a little more forcefully than last time. _I… I can't Shukaku. Not today. Your voice… it sounds too much like his. _

She was satisfied when the demon didn't respond, slinking to the back of her mind to leave her alone. Sakura sighed, walking into her bathroom and looking at herself in the mirror. She looked terrible to put it simply. There were dark shadows under her eyes and her hair was in a whirl.

"Thank god people invented cosmetics," She mumbled, talking out her cover-up. It hid the shadows and gave her skin the healthy glow it was presently lacking naturally. She was about to put it away when something caught her eye. Right below her jaw line, on the side of her neck was a red mark. Her memory flashed back to the previous night when her and Gaara were kissing. Without showing any emotion at all Sakura covered the mark with cover-up, making it disappear as if it had never existed.

***RandomnessRules***

Gaara leaped over the rooftops, heading for the building he was to be wed in, the gray of early morning all around him. He'd been thinking all night and finally came up with an answer. He'd simply refuse to marry Ino, and instead ask the Hokage if Sakura could be his bride instead.

_**What if it doesn't work? **_

Gaara ignored the voice in his head. After all, if it wasn't for her neither one of them would be in the mess they were in. Then again… she did have a point. Inner Sakura said that she'd been in love with him for a while now, which would mean so had Sakura. But, if so, wouldn't she have already asked the Hokage? Especially after what had happened last night one would think Sakura would easily come up with the same plan he now had in mind.

_**The Hokage probably wouldn't have a problem with it, but it's too late. Do you have any idea how many people are coming here today, expecting to see you and Ino wed? **_

_Alright then, plan B. _Gaara thought._ We'll run away. _

_**Gaara, **_Inner Sakura sighed in her sad way. _**We can't. Sakura and I love you enough to agree to that but… If you run away you'll lose everything. And it won't just end up hurting you. It will hurt all of Suna. Where will they be without their Kazekage? It's not fair to them. We'll make you put their happiness above ours. It's what has to be done. **_

_Then I'll just have to confront the Hokage. _Gaara decided, shutting Inner Sakura out before she could try and talk him out of it. He couldn't take anymore of her guilt-trip, do-what's-best-for-your-people lecture. All he knew was that Sakura felt the same way about him as he felt about her, and he wasn't about to let what they shared together die. Not now. Not after he'd spent his whole life searching for it.

The church's roof was unmistakable. It's tall steeple jetted into the sky, the sharp point at the very top stretching farther into the heavens than any other building in Suna. Gaara jumped off the roof he was on and ran down the early morning street to the church's front doors.

"There you are!" Gaara turned his head sharply to see Temari and Kankuro standing off to the side of the church. "We've been waiting for you!" His sister continued.

"Yeah! Come on! We're going to be late!" Kankuro barked, grabbing his brother by the arm and dragging him inside.

"Wait!" Gaara struggled. "I need to talk to Sakura." He tried to explain.

"She'll be arriving soon with the rest of the girls and your bride." Temari explained. "But don't worry Gaara. I already talked to her this morning. Everything's ready to go. Decorations, food, entertainment. You name it."

"Temari, you don't understand-" Gaara tried again, but neither of his siblings listened. They just pulled him inside the double doors.

***RandomnessRules***

People had already started to line the streets as Sakura and the others made their way towards the church.

"Come on people! Hurry!" Tenten commanded. "It's already 8:30! The wedding starts and 10:00! Come on!"

"We're coming. Hold your horses," Shikamaru mumbled, not really in the mood for drama. "We'll make it in time."

"Oh, what if something goes wrong?" Ino fretted, worried as always.

"Don't worry," Sakura tried to reassure her. "I took care of everything. It's going to be fine. Nothing could go wrong." She smiled.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that," Naruto spoke up. "It looks like it's going to rain on us." He pointed up to the sky, and for the first time the rest of his friends noticed the heavy black storm clouds overhead. As if to convince the people they were there, a great rumbling came from the clouds at that exact moment.

"Oh no you don't!" Sakura barked at the clouds. "You are not going to ruin this wedding! I can't believe this! 360 days of sunshine and Suna chooses today of all days to have rainy weather!"

"At least we'll be inside a church." Hinata mused, leaning on Naruto's arm as they walked along.

"Just in case, let's get inside now, just to make sure." Ino said picking up the pace and dashing towards the church. The others followed her up to the double doors and into the entrance hall.

Sakura opened the big glass doors on the other side of the entrance hall to see the chapel all set up and ready for guests to arrive. The carpet was stretched out over the long hall all the way down to the alter on the other end of the massive room. Everything was perfect. She was tempted to walk down the hall and to go through the doors on the other end of the chapel to where the food would be served afterwards to see if things were in order there, but there was no time.

She closed the glass doors and headed down the right hall off the side of the entry hall to where the girls' dressing rooms were. The boys headed down the opposite hall to get into their tuxes and so the chaos began.

***RandomnessRules***

Gaara glanced at his watch. 9:45. In only fifteen minutes the ceremony would begin. All the guests had already arrive, minus a few last minute arrivals and he could feel his nervousness growing. Temari left to get into her dress, so it was just him and Kankuro. Gaara straightened his bowtie, thinking of a way he could escape without his brother noticing. Perhaps if he sent Kankuro away to get something…

"Hey Kankuro?" he asked.

"What?" Gaara turned around as soon as he heard the tone of voice his brother was using. He sounding like he was… Oh my god he was! He was sitting in a chair on the other side of the dressing room _crying_.

"What's wrong with you?" Gaara asked, a little freaked out. He'd never seen Kankuro cry before, at lest not for real.

"It's nothing," Kankuro sniffed. "I'm just…. I'm so sad! My little brother is getting married before me!" he cried.

"It's not my choice. If I had my way you would definitely get married first, because I wouldn't get married at all." Gaara bit his lip. That statement might have been true, if he hadn't met Sakura.

Gaara tried a different strategy, because Kankuro was still crying. "At least when you marry it will be for love and not some stupid arranged marriage."

Kankuro cried harder. "I'll never marry! Especially not for love!"

"Why would you say that?"

"Because," Kankuro sobbed. "Because…" He never finished his sentence. He burst out into a fit of tears.

"Pull yourself together!" Gaara commanded. The last thing he was going to have was his brother cracking up on the day of his wedding.

"I'm- ha-happy for y-you G-Gaara!" Wailed Kankuro. "Ino's a g- great gall and I'm sh -sure you to w- will be very happy to… together!"

Gaara was about to try and comfort his cracked-up brother when he realized it was the perfect moment for him to get away, and so while Kankuro blubbered in his chair Gaara slipped away out the door. He got through the entry hall without anyone noticing him and down the girls changing hall, searching for Sakura's room.

***RandomnessRules***

"Perfect," Sakura smiled, placing Ino's veil in place. "You look amazing." Ino nodded, her face showing no emotion what so ever.

"Ino?" her friend asked softly. "Are you sure you can do this?"

Ino sighed. "Yeah… I've already come to terms with it. And besides, I'll be the Kazekage's wife. That's one good thing about marrying a monster."

Sakura felt her anger rise immediately.

"You know Ino, there are a lot of bad things about Gaara. He's bossy and rude. He has one of the worst personalities ever. He's impatient, stubborn, unwilling, and unkind towards most people. He had a fowl temper and bad habits. He's uncaring and has absolutely no sense of humor. Most of the time he has a debatable grip on his sanity, and, yes I suppose he could be considered a monster."

Gaara's hand had frozen right before gripping the door handle. Was that…? Was that what Sakura really thought of him? He hung his head low. He supposed it was true. No one could ever love him and telling himself that she could was just a lie. She hadn't meant any of it. Not one word of what she had said before this very moment.

_**Gaara No! I don't feel that way! It's a lie! **_

He smirked. _Well at least I know we can go through with the wedding now… _

_**No! **_

He blocked the voice in his head and walked away.

"But you know what?" Sakura continued, glaring at Ino as she did. "Beneath all that, if your lucky enough to be one of the few people that he let's see what he's really like inside, you'll find something wonderful. There's an angel beneath that monster Ino, and I hope one day you'll be deserving of him."

Sakura turned and walked out of the room before Ino could respond, heading back to the bathroom to fix her makeup again. It got messed up as the tears started to flow down her cheeks. Out of the corner of her eyes she could have sworn she saw a patch of red round the corner at the end of the hall, but she assumed it was all in her imagination.

***RandomnessRules***

Gaara turned around the corner and crossed the entrance hall, heading back towards his room.

"Gaara?" He turned smoothly around when his name was called to face the one who had addressed him. Lady Tsunade was wearing her Hokage robes, her hair flowing straight down her back.

"Is there something wrong?" she asked nicely.

"No." he answered flatly, not in the mood for talking. After all, he only had five minutes left before he would be wed.

"Are you sure? Having second thoughts about the wedding?" Tsunade pressed.

Gaara looked down to the floor, unable to meat her gaze. "Not any more." Before Tsunade could ask him what he meant Gaara had turned on his heal and walked away.

***RandomnessRules***

Sakura stood behind Temari, right outside the glass doors as nervous as if she was there for her own wedding. Her hands shook as she tried to hold her white roses steady in her grasp.

"This is it." Temari whispered. "Stop squirming Kankuro!" she hissed, stepping on her brother's foot. He bit back a yelp as the heel sunk in and straightened up. "Don't mess this up." She warned him, gripping his arm tighter.

"You look beautiful Hinata," Sakura heard Naruto whisper, the pair standing behind her and her partner Shikamaru.

"You're bowtie's all messed up Neji! Haven't you ever tied a tie before?" Tenten scolded Neji, the couple standing behind Hinata and Naruto.

"I've never seen the need to wear one. I am a shinobi after all. Such attire isn't appropriate for the battle field." He explained. Sakura heard Tenten's sigh and the quite rustling sounds of her fixing his tie.

Feeling like she should talk to someone, Sakura looked up to Shikamaru. "You look nice Shikamaru," she commented.

He looked down at her with a smile. "You look nice too Sakura, but I think you should relax."

She bit her lip. "I am relaxed." The lie slid between her teeth.

"Really? Then why are you gripping my arm for dear life?" he questioned, raising one eyebrow. Sakura looked to see her hand that was supposed to be resting lightly on Shikamaru's forearm was gripping him so tight her nails threatened to rip his tux.

"Oh! Sorry," she apologized, quickly relinquishing her hold.

"It's going to be fine Sakura." He reassured her. "It's just a wedding, a wedding, I might add, that you did a wonderful job planning. Ino is probably so happy you did this for her." Shikamaru said.

"I hope so…" she bit her lip again.

"I know so."

"Quiet you guys!" Temari hissed. "It's starting." The two men on either side of the door opened it wide revealing the chapel, its pews filled with more people than could be counted. They started walking down the isle, covered with a red and white carpet that stretched all the way down to the alter.

Sakura tried not to, she really did, but half way down the isle she gave in, looking up to see Gaara standing at the end. He was wearing a dashing tuxedo with a white shirt, red vest, and black jacket and he looked so handsome Sakura almost faltered and fell. She'd planed on only looking for a brief moment, but after meeting his gaze she couldn't look away. His eyes looked so sad, with a little anger hidden beneath then, but worst of all the anger seemed to be directed at her.

_What's wrong with him? Why is he mad at me? _

**I wish I knew. **Shukaku responded, frustrated.

At the front of the alter the girls and boys separated, the men standing behind the groom and the girls lining up on the side designated for the bride. Sakura tried to catch Gaara's eyes again, to question the look he'd given her before but he was focused ahead as the music started to play.

Sakura looked forward as well as Ino came down the isle, looking like an angel in her beautiful wedding dress, holding her flowers. Sakura looked to see where her friend was looking, to find her looking at Gaara and the men by his side; Kankuro, Shikamaru, Naruto, and Neji but she didn't know which one in particular she was looking at. Sakura assumed Gaara, but she wasn't quite sure.

_**Gaara! Don't do this! **_Inner Sakura sobbed.

_I'm not listening to you and your lies anymore Sakura. I have to do what's right for my country. _Gaara replied, holding out his hand for Ino's. She took his offering and together they walked up towards the priest.

_**But Gaara! I love you! **_

_No, you don't. That much I could tell from what she said._

_**Gaara! Gaara! **_Inner Sakura tried again, but he'd blocked her out.

"Dearly beloved we are gathered here today to join together not only two lives but two great kingdoms…"

_**No! Gaara, why won't you listen to me?! **_Outside the thunder clashed. _**Sakura didn't mean those things! It was a misunderstanding! Please listen to me! If only Shukaku were here; He'd be able to convince him. Gaara! Gaara please! Shukaku! Help me!! **_

"…by bonding Sabaku no Gaara, Kazekage of Suna to Miss. Ino Yamanaka of Konoha …" The preacher continued.

**Inner Sakura? **

_**Shukaku? **_

**Wait. How the hell are we communicating?! Neither Sakura or Gaara are asleep?! **

Sakura and Gaara's eyes widened.

_Shukaku? _Gaara thought. _Is that you? I never thought I'd be glad to hear your voice again._

_Gaara? _A new voice spoke in the Kazekage's head.

_Sakura?! What the hell are you doing in my head?! _Gaara asked.

_You're the one in my head! _

Gaara looked away from the preacher and to Sakura, dressed up in her red bride's maid's gown, standing there looking at him with the same shock he was looking at her with.

_So… we're all here… talking to each other?_

**Yep pup. Me, you, Inner Sakura, and Sakura are somehow sharing one mind. And just when we thought things couldn't get any weirder… **

_**Gaara listen to me! Sakura and I love you! Please don't marry Ino! **_

_Liar! _Gaara barked_. I heard what you said Sakura. You said I'm a monster. I know I am, but I thought… I thought you didn't think I was. I thought you cared about me. _

_But Gaara, I do care about you! I never said you were a monster! _Sakura tried.

_Don't try denying it. I heard you in Ino's room, talking to her. _

It clicked in Sakura's head. _Gaara, you misunderstand. Ino said you were a monster. I said all those things to show her how she might be right, but then I told her how you weren't. That who you are inside is this whole other person, that I love. _

_Wait. _Gaara stopped her. _You mean… you really do love me? _

**No der Sherlock. **

_Yes, I do. _Sakura said, ignoring Shukaku's comment.

_**I told you Gaara! I love you! And I know you love me, so please! Don't do this! **_

_No. _Sakura said, contradicting her inner. _No matter how much I want you to, you can't. I can't do that to you. You have to marry, so you can remain Kazekage. I won't let you give it up for me. _

Gaara smirked. _But Sakura, I want to. I want to marry you, not Ino. _

**And Ino doesn't even want to marry him, so why not go along with it? **

_**Please Sakura! I want us to be happy. **_

_Please Sakura, _Gaara asked. _Please… I've never felt this way about anyone before. I love you Sakura. Please, will you marry me?_

Sakura could feel herself crying. _I can't… I-_

_Please? _He pleaded. _It's what you want. It's what I want. I'm pretty sure it's what Ino would want. Please Sakura, be my wife._

For the first time in over two minutes Sakura heard what the preacher was saying. He was done with the introduction and had moved on to the next part.

"If anyone here as a reason why these two should not wed, speak now or forever hold your peace."

_Gaara… Don't… _Sakura's words were an empty plea.

_I'm doing this for us Sakura, because I love you. _

"I object!" X6

Sakura looked around in shock. Her hand was high in the hair, it having moved there when she'd said I object, but hers was not the only hand up. Gaara's, of course was up, for he had objected as well, but another four unexpected hands were also in the air, belonging to four people no one had expected to object. Ino, Naruto, Kankuro, and Lady Tsunade.

"What is the meaning of this?!" the preacher asked, looking around the large room at the six hands. "Why do you all object?!"

"Sir," Ino spoke up, tears in her eyes. "I- I can't go through with this. When I agreed to marrying the Kazekage I didn't know it was Gaara. I- I thought it was-"

"I object!" Kankuro interrupted her, "Because I love Ino!" (Huge gasp echoes through the room)

"I thought the Kazekage was Kankuro." Ino finished, holding her head down.

Gaara looked at Kankuro, a mixture of shock and confusion on his face.

"I… might have told her I was the Kazekage instead of you." He tried to explain to Gaara. "You know? I empress her…"

"Let me get this straight." The preacher said. "The bride is in love with the Kazekage's brother and only agreed to marry the Kazekage because she thought it was Kankuro?"

"Yes," Kankuro and Ino replied.

"So you're the reason I'm in this mess?! If you hadn't lied to Ino none of us would be here right now!" Gaara growled at his brother. "Kankuro you're so dead."

"But wait! Why do you object?" The preacher looked around to Sakura, Gaara, Naruto, and Lady Tsunade.

"Because I don't want to marry Ino. I don't love her." Gaara said as if it was obvious.

"But Kazekage, you must marry or you will lose you title." The preacher pointed out.

"I know," Gaara replied. "That's why... I…" His face was turning red to match his hair and vest. "I would like to marry Sakura Haruno instead." (Another huge gasp from the people in the pews.)

The preacher blinked in shock, turning to looked at a pink-faced Sakura. "And I take it that's why you object as well, because you want to marry the Kazekage?"

Sakura nodded shyly. "I love him." She whispered, more embarrassed than she'd ever been in her life.

"This is also the reason I object." Lady Tsunade entered the conversation. "I realized Ino had not known full well who she was marrying when she agreed and that in reality she really didn't want to marry Gaara. I felt it unfair to force her into it, and then I learned of Sakura and Gaara's feelings for each other. I don't think I can allow this wedding to take place when the bride does not want to marry the groom, and the groom is in love with another who returns his feelings.

"Besides, Sakura is also from Konoha. If the Kazekage was to marry her instead of Miss. Yamanaka I do not see how the terms of our village's arrangement would change. His bride would still be from my village and the alliance would still be put into effect. Plus, it would have the wondrous benefit of not technically being an arranged marriage because both bride and groom would _want _to get married."

"Why didn't you speak up sooner?!" Gaara barked, a little pissed off that Tsunade had been in on the love triangle and hadn't said anything until the last minute.

"Until I saw you two last night I was unaware of your feelings towards Miss. Haruno and her feelings for you. Furthermore I didn't know of how Miss. Yamanaka truly felt about the marriage until last night as well."

"Well that explains that." The preacher said. "But hold on a minute; why do _you _object?" he addressed Naruto, looking at the blond questionably.

"I don't know," Naruto said in his usual happy tone. "I've just always wanted to say that. (Everyone has an anime sweat drop on the back of their head.)

"Alright then… Does anyone _else _object?!" The preacher hollered to all the people in the hall. No one spoke. "Okay. Then I feel I have no choice other than to call off the wedding of Sabaku no Gaara and Ino Yamanaka. Instead, I suppose we are gathered here today to join together Sabaku no Gaara, Kazekage of Suna to Sakura Haruno of Konoha?"

Both Gaara and Sakura nodded. Ino grabbed Sakura by the arm, smiling at her. "Should have known there was something going on between you guys." She giggled, switching bouquets with her friend and switching places with her as well.

Suddenly it was Sakura and Gaara standing in front of the alter together, hand in hand.

"Alright then, if anyone here as a reason why _this_ couple should not wed, speak now or forever hold your peace." Thank god, no one spoke up. There was another clap of thunder from the storm outside and then the sound of rain falling onto the churches roof.

"Do you, Sabaku no Gaara, Kazekage of Suna, take Sakura Haruno as your wife? To love and support her in sickness and in health for the rest of your life until death do you part?"

"I do." Gaara answered, looking nowhere except deeply into Sakura's eyes.

**I just realized something… **

_**What's that? **_

**Now I'm going to have to kiss myself for the rest of my life. **

_**Shut up!! We're getting married stupid head! **_

**Sorry dear. I guess I can withstand it, if it's for you. **

_**Now that's more like it.**_

_I love you Sakura. _

_I love you too Gaara._

"Do you, Sakura Haruno, take Sabaku no Gaara, Kazekage of Sun, as your husband? To love and support him in sickness and in health for the rest of your life until death do you part?"

"I do." Sakura smiled, so happy she felt like crying tears of joy.

"Then I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride." The preacher concluded.

Gaara didn't need anymore of an invitation, holding Sakura's face in his hands and kissing her passionately on the lips. Then, seconds later, before any one in the audience could start clapping there was a crash of thunder and a bright flash.

(ZZZZZZZZZZZAAAAAPPPPPPPPPPP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

***RandomnessRules***

Sakura's eyes opened to chaos. She was lying on the floor at the alter looking up at the ridiculously high ceiling forming to a point at what seemed like miles above her. But what really struck her was the way the very peek of the roof was black, scorched with it's edges flickering with fire that was quickly extinguished by the rain seeping through the burnt roof.

_What just happened? _

…

_Shukaku? _

_**Who are you calling Shukaku?! **_

Sakura was so stunned she couldn't speak physically or within her mind. Had she just heard who shy thought she head?

"Sakura! Sakura! You better not be dead! You just because my sister-in-law!"

Sakura blinked, her eyes focusing in on Temari, standing over her.

"Temari? Wha… What happened?" Sakura asked, a little out of it.

"You and Gaara just got electrocuted!"

"Electrocuted?" Sakura tried to process the idea.

"Yeah! Right when you guys kissed too! It was freaky. I thought it killed you!"

Sakura's eyes widened. "How's Gaara? Is he alright?"

Her answer came the next second.

"NO I DON'T NEED MOUTH-TO-MOUTH NARUTO!!!" Yep. Gaara was alive.

Sakura sat up slowly to see Gaara sitting up as well, glaring at Naruto who was kneeling in front of him. Gaara turned his head to meat Sakura's gaze.

"Thank goodness you're alright." He sighed in relief, but in the same second he started laughing. "But I don't think I can say the same for your hair." Sakura touched her hair to find it sticking up on all sides. Gaara laughed again.

"Speak for yourself." Sakura through back, looking at Gaara's hair. Every end of it was standing out in a huge, red, afro of doom.

"Who cares what your hair looks like?! You're alive!" Temari cheered.

"True; at least we're alight." Gaara agreed.

_**He's right. That could have been really bad. I mean, who's ever heard of two people surviving after being electrocuted TWO times by lightning in the same year? **_

Sakura's jaw dropped and the shock that had hit her before Temari showed up set back in.

"Sakura, what's wrong?" Gaara asked, a little worried by the expression she had on her face.

"I…" She tried. "I think we're more than alright."

Gaara looked at her questionably. "What do you mean?"

**Yet another stupid question. You never learn pup. **

Gaara's eyes widened in realization. "You mean… We…? We're back to normal?"

**That would be a yes. **

Sakura smiled brightly at him. "I think so." Gaara blinked, still in disbelief then smiled back at Sakura.

"I guess the only way to reverse it really was to get stuck by lightning again." He smirked.

"Yeah, but you know, I'm kind of sad it's over."

"Why?" Gaara questioned her.

"We'll, when you think about it, it was because our inners switched in the first place that we ended up falling in love with each other." Sakura explained.

"You've got a point," Gaara mused. "In fact, if it wasn't for that lightning that first time we would have never ended up together."

Sakura stood up along with Gaara, reaching out to hold his hand in hers. "And to think, some people think electrocution is a bad thing."

"Well, considering the mess it got us in and after that first day we tried to switch back I definitely thought so, but you know, now, I think electrocution's actual not that bad." Gaara said.

Sakura smiled at him. "I think it's a great thing. We should do it again sometime."

"Whatever happened to not pushing our luck? I mean, I bet we are the only people in the would that have survived being hit by lighting _twice _and not dying."

"I know, but I think I already miss that cute little Tanuki of yours." Sakura joked.

**Ha! She called me cute. ^_^ **

"Oh wait," Sakura continued, "I left out perverted and when you put that adjective in maybe I don't miss him after all."

**No! Sadness! :( :( :( :( **

"Guys! Ino and Kankuro were hit too!" Tenten announced.

For the first time since they met each others eyes Sakura and Gaara looked away from one another and to Ino and Kankuro on the floor.

"Ino!" Sakura ran to her friend.

"Kankuro!" Gaara moaned, walking towards his fallen brother. "You're such an idiot." He kicked his brother in the arm, looking down at the startled man with emotionless eyes. "Get up you lazy ass." Looking to Ino, Gaara saw she was alright, being helped to her feet by Sakura.

"You alright?" he asked, looking back to his brother as he sat up, holding his head in one hand.

"Yeah… I think so. I'm just a little dizzy-" Kankuro cut himself off, his eyes going wide. The grip he had on his skull intensified.

"What?" The Kazekage asked, a little concerned.

Kankuro looked to his little brother, horror in his eyes. "Gaara," he whispered "why is there a girl talking inside my head?"

_Shit/_**Shit **

"HAAAAAAAA!" Ino screamed, gripping her head with both hands. "Why is there a guy named Jimmy in my head?!!! And WHY does he refer to himself in THIRD PERSON?????!!!"

Gaara and Sakura looked at each other, wide eyed. At the same time they spoke what the other was thinking.

"Ua oh."

***RandomnessRules***

Epilog

**I'm so glad we can still talk to each other this way. **

_**Me too. Thanks for letting Gaara sleep so we can communicate with each other. **_

**Anything for you. Besides, now he's married. He needs all the sleep he can get. ^_^ **

_**What's that suppose to mean? Are you calling me high maintenance? **_

**N- No! Never. You see, er, wh- what I mean was… Ua oh, Gaara's waking up. **Shukaku smirked. Saved by the bell so to speak.

_**So is Sakura. Tell Gaara Sakura loves him and that she wants to go to dinner with him some time, if he has time. **_

**Got it. Oh, and tell Sakura Gaara's been having these fantasies about her in a bright red lingerie set. I think it would be a good idea if she got one… **He suggested.

_**Whatever you perv.**_

**Love you too Honey. ^_^ **

Sakura's eyes fluttered open only to find that her face was buried in Gaara's shirt. She snuggled closer to him, wishing she could just go back to sleep. Sakura felt Gaara's arms tighten around her, a signal he too was awake and wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep and hold her forever.

They lay in silence for several minutes, and Sakura had almost managed to drift off to sleep again when she heard Gaara's husky voice break the silence.

"So which restaurant would you like to go to tonight?" he asked slyly.

Sakura smiled, hugging him more tightly. "I don't know…" she teased. "Exactly what kind of red lingerie do you want me to wear?"

"Stupid Tanuki." Gaara mumbled.

Sakura looked up at him, smiling sweetly. "I don't know, I kind of like being able to have our inners talk when we sleep."

"That makes one of us…" Gaara grumbled.

"Come on now Gaara. There are no secrets in a marriage."

"At least not in ours," He mused. Sakura giggled, hugging him tightly before jumping up out of bed and going to come out her hair.

"When did you get those?" he asked, looking at her PJ's. They were a pair of really short red shorts and a tight white tank top with a picture of a red tanuki on the front.

"Temari got them for me." Sakura said proudly.

"I'll have to thank her later," Mutter Gaara, watching how her hips moved when wearing those extremely short shorts.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" The scream echoed down the hall. Gaara and Sakura both ran out of the room, headed towards the scream. Not surprisingly, it led to Kankuro's room.

When they burst threw the door they found Kankuro standing across from the bed holding his tazor. Ino was standing on the bed holding a pillow in front of her to protect herself from Kankuro.

"Come on Ino. It's just a tazor. Who knows? Maybe it will work?" Kankuro tried to coax her.

"Oh no you don't! I know what you're thinking…" Ino tried away, her eyes growing wide. "JIMMY THINKS THE TAZOR WILL MAKE THE SEX GREAT?!??!?!?!?!?!?!????????????????!?!?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!?!?!?!?!?!!!!!!!!!!!!!" KANKURO!!!!!! WHAT THE HELL'S WRONG WITH YOU?!!!!!!?????????!!!!!"

"You tell me Ino. I mean, why would your Inner say, and I quote, 'that sounds interesting'?"

"AHH! I never said that you perv!!!"

"You're inner said it!!!" Kankuro contradicted.

"Sakura!" Ino whined, whipping away her fake tears on her long sleeved white and green turtle PJ's. "I want my mind back to myself! I hate Jimmy!"

"There's nothing wrong with Jimmy!" Kankuro complained.

"Hello?!! He's your inner, he refers to himself in third person, and he's named Jimmy! Obviously there's something wrong with him!!" screeched Ino.

"Sorry guys," Gaara smirked. "You're just going to have to live with each other until the next rain storm comes. Then you can switch back, that is, if you manage to get hit by lightning."

Ino started crying and Kankuro turned pale. "You mean I have to continue to live with a prissy girl in my head?!" he barked.

"Who are you calling prissy?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!"

Gaara walked Sakura out of the room before the body parts started to fly.

"Do you think they'll ever get back to normal?" Sakura asked as they headed to the kitchen.

"Who knows?" Gaara mused. "You want pancakes for breakfast?"

"Sure."

"Alright. Let's get Temari up. If she misses the pancakes she'll kill me."

"Umm… Gaara, we better not," Sakura said.

"Why not?"

Her face turned red. "Well… Shikamaru came over last night and… I don't think he went home."

Gaara's eye twitched. "More pancakes for us I guess," he said, trying to block the disturbing mental images coming into his mind.

"You know," Sakura mused, "I wonder how things will turn out for everyone. Temari and Shikamaru. Ino and Kankuro…"

Gaara grinned devilishly. "If things turn out like they did for us… It sure will be interesting to watch."

END

That was TOTTALY wicked!!!!! ^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^ Great story Tristen! ^_^_^

_**You sound like something from the incredible you freak. -_- **_

Hey! Tristen! You just insulted me! Happy Day!! ^_^

_**And you're hyper again! **_

**We're back to normal!! **

_**How the hell did that happen?**_

Wait! I know! Pick me! Pick me! Pick me! Pick me! Pick me! Pick me! Pick me! Pick me! Pick me! Pick me! Pick me! Pick me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

_**Shut up!!! It's only been one minute and you're already starting to annoy me… why couldn't you just stay Emo? Then I would have an amazing Emo friend instead of a freak like you. **_

…… Does this mean you picked me?

_**(sighs.) Yes Crimson. I picked you. Now tell everyone how we got back to normal. **_

Okay! ^_^ So Here's how it happened. Remember when we were leaving the theme park we saw these two gay guys and since you were still preppy you started chasing after them to give them a hug because they were so awesome and I went after you and one of the guys dropped his rainbow colored snow cone and we crashed into each other and slipped one it and fell and… yeah. Good times. Good times. ^_^

_**And so we all lived happily ever after… **_

Except for Sasuke! He died. ^_^ And you, because now you have to put up with me again. And I don't think Kankuro and Ino will live happily ever after. After all, we hate that pairing. We just put it in there because it was the most random thing we could think of to do.

_**We could have paired her with Temari. **_

**TWITCHY EYE**

_**So, in the end I guess everything turn out alright.**_

Yep! ^_^

**Until Next time! ^_^/-_-**

**-2crazy random people**


End file.
